Endless
by DemureteSeeker
Summary: Shattered and heartbroken, Lucy Heartfilia is expected to cope with it. What happens when Lucy decides to leave the guild? When Lucy runs into someone unexpected how is she supposed to react?
1. An Irrational Decision

**Hello, everyone! Truth be told, I wrote almost all of the chapters again. I'm a perfectionist by nature so I find it very unsettling when I spot a mistake or a plothole. So here it is! Please don't forget to review, favorite or follow!**

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia sighed as she looked out the window of her house. The river which was in perfect view from her window was dazzling, beautiful even. The moonlight shone on the river, making it seem as if it was just a huge mirror.

They just got back from a job a few days ago, and as usual, Natsu ended up destroying a town again.

'The stars are so pretty,' thought Lucy. She was feeling very _melancholy_ these days. The feeling grew stronger whenever she thought about a particular person, no, a dragon to be a bit more precise.

She was in the middle of writing a letter to her mother when a familiar pink haired dragon slayer and a blue flying cat came in through the window.

"Natsu?!" Lucy got up facing Natsu and his blue flying cat, Happy. They never entered her house the normal way. She was even on the verge of forgetting what was _normal_. The people surrounding her in her everyday life were very… eccentric.

"We got a new job, Lucy, the reward are really big!" They both chimed waving the quest paper in front of her face.

"Really? Show me that." Lucy was always in doubt whenever Natsu showed her a paper job request. There was always something fishy about it.

The job was fighting a group of bandits. The reward was big alright, but since Natsu had the tendency to destroy a town or two whenever he fought Lucy had wondered if they could really receive the actual amount.

"Well, the quest isn't too hard, it might go fine I guess?" wondered Lucy aloud.

Lucy noticed Natsu staring at her as if he wanted to ask a question. "What Natsu?" Lucy asked.

Natsu hesitated, "Well, I was wondering if Lisaana could come with us this time. I have been meaning to let her come along since she came back so..." He let the sentence delicately trail away. Lucy knew what he was going to say.

"Of course, she can come," Lucy said brightly ignoring the feeling which came whenever Natsu mentioned Lisaana. At this Natsu brightened and jumped with excitement. He grabbed Happy's paws and did some kind of weird dance.

Natsu and Lisaana had been inseparable these few days for some reason, thought Lucy with a slight twinge of… jealousy. Was this jealousy Lucy felt? She honestly didn't know.

Lucy yawned feeling tired suddenly, "Go back home Natsu, I want to sleep."

"Sure," Natsu replied and escaped through the window with Happy carrying him. Lucy felt oddly lonely once she was alone in the room; she got on the bed hoping to shake the feeling with a good night's sleep.

* * *

The night faded quickly as the day rose.

Lucy woke up; she peeled off her pajamas and looked at the clock. It was almost time to go to the guild. She put on her clothes and went to Fairy Tail.

When she entered the guild, as usual, she saw Lisaana and Natsu chatting happily together. Lucy didn't know why but whenever she saw them together her heart hurt. It wasn't the sort of a paper cut hurt, it was a dull ache which was more painful than a paper cut.

Natsu looked at Lucy and grinned at her, "Lucy, ready to go?"

Lucy smiled back in response and said hello to Lisaana, she looked around for Erza and Gray but they were nowhere to be found.

Approaching Natsu she asked where Erza and Gray were.

"They went on a mission a couple of days earlier. I was bored so I wanted to go on a mission without waiting for them." Natsu replied.

Without Erza, the jobs were always chaotic, but perhaps Lisaana could control Natsu from rampaging? Lucy wondered. Lucy didn't really know Lisaana but looking at Mirajane Lucy guessed that Lisaana would be a capable person.

Natsu feeling impatient, "We don't have time to waste, let's go!" he yelled.

* * *

Going on the job was a bad choice. Going with Natsu without Erza was a bad choice.

Lucy regretted going with Natsu, Happy and Lisaana.

Natsu burnt two villages, it was just fighting a small group of bandits so how did it go so wrong? Everything went wrong.

She had to pay the repair cost with the reward money. They didn't care at all of course. Lucy didn't know how she would manage to pay the landlady. Her palms sweated at the thought of her landlady.

Natsu was resting on Lisaana's lap. Since when did Natsu start to rely on Lisaana rather than Lucy? Lucy felt sick, she didn't want to feel these pains anymore. It hurt her so much.

Lucy really wanted to know why she was feeling these pains. She looked at Natsu's peacefully sleeping face. Lisaana was dozing off with her head bowed casting a shadow on his face.

Lucy frowned slightly, a fine crease settling above her eyebrows. She leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. As the mountains rolled past by Lucy could fully appreciate the view outside for the first time.

* * *

Once they arrived at Fairy Tail, the guild shook with fear. Erza was in an extremely bad mood. Natsu cowered behind Lisaana as Erza's loud voice boomed over the guild.

Erza had lectured them so much that Lucy's ears were still ringing after she finally reached home.

Feeling tired, Lucy flopped herself on her bed. She didn't even bother to change her clothes. Lucy closed her eyes and was quickly asleep.

When the first rays of the sun hit her house she was still asleep. Lucy woke to the grumbling sound of her stomach. She groaned and fell out of the bed while glancing at the clock. It was almost time to go to the guild.

She had some breakfast and went to the guild. The guild was rowdy in the morning as usual but she didn't see Natsu and Happy anywhere so she asked Mirajane.

"Oh Lucy, they went on an another job," replied Mirajane. Mirajane didn't quite look at Lucy as she was wiping a dusty glass.

Lucy felt unsettled. Usually, they would go on quests together, She asked who Natsu went with even though she already knew the answer.

"Natsu went with Lisaana and Happy," Mirajane replied, her eyes cast down as if she were ashamed. Her voice caught slightly when she said her younger sister's name.

Lucy pursed her lips and nodded slightly, wondering about this outcome. Natsu never excluded her on jobs. Lucy crossed her arms and looked down at her feet, he would never exclude her on any jobs but now she wasn't so sure.

There were always exceptions… Lucy thought.

Lucy sighed and went to the job request board. She slightly hummed to herself as she scanned the tattered papers which were pinned to the board.

She finally saw a job which was suited to her. It was about finding a book… perhaps this will do.

Lucy thought of her first quest, it was also about finding a book and burning it. She laughed at the memory when Natsu made her wear a maid costume.

She would do this job, and the reward was okay on a second thought. She went to the counter and submitted the paper.

* * *

Few hours later she was in front of a big house. The house looked grand but eerie thought Lucy as she knocked on the door but no one answered it.

"Hello?" Lucy tried the door and was surprised to find it open. She peered in, the house looked like as if no one used the house for decades.

Stepping back, she thought what if this job was a hoax. Her heart was beating wildly against her chest. She was about to turn back when she heard someone crying. It was coming from the house.

Stepping in cautiously she traced the sound to the second floor.

Lucy hesitated but ventured to go upstairs. The stairs seemed really fragile, Lucy was careful about where she was stepping on. She reached the second floor when the crying got louder. Lucy gulped and opened the door timidly.

Inside the room, there was a little boy sitting on a chair. Lucy walked towards the boy, something did not feel right.

"What are you doing here boy?" Lucy asked.

There was no reply, she peered into the boy's face when she saw that the eyelids were closed.

Cautiously she touched the boy. He wasn't breathing. The temperature in the room seemed to drop so suddenly that Lucy shuddered.

The boy's head rolled back to reveal a rope mark across his neck. The mark was an angry color of red, Lucy saw. She stifled a scream; Lucy's heart was pounding, if the boy here is dead then who was crying?

She felt her knees tremble, Lucy felt scared. She was about to get out of the room when a loud crash from the downstairs made her scream.

"Lucy!" A voice called down from below. She could hear the sounds of hurried footsteps.

Natsu.

"What happened Lucy?" He looked from Lucy to the boy sitting in the chair.

His face paled in realization, "Come on Luce, let's get out of here."

Lucy merely nodded and before they went out of the room Lucy cast the boy's corpse one last glance. Perhaps she was being paranoid but she thought that the boy's head rolled a bit facing her and looking-no, staring at her in an eerie way.

When they were outside Lucy crumpled. Natsu panicked, "Lucy!" She had no strength in her knees, she made a weak grunt.

Strong hands lifted her up, Lucy looked at the person, Erza. Gray, Happy and Lisaana were there too. Anxiety was written on their faces.

Her eyes were starting to cloud, Natsu's worried face was blurring. Lucy slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing she could hear was her name.

* * *

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	2. Leaving Fairy Tail

**Hello, everyone! I hope it's not too long, it's my first time putting up a chapter as long as this one. But oh well, please don't forget to review or favorite!**

* * *

When Lucy woke she found herself staring at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. "Natsu! Lucy woke up!" Erza called. The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from her room.

Lucy strained herself getting up. "Erza?" The sheets fell on the floor softly as she looked at Erza.

Erza looked at Lucy worried, "The quest was a hoax." She lightly tapped her fingers on the base of her armor.

Lucy nodded, "I thought so." She shivered at the memory of the boy. What was happening?

Natsu came in with a loud slam. "Lucy! Are you alright?"

"Yeah... but about the boy, who was he?" Lucy asked, not looking at Natsu.

Natsu just shook his head, his face looked tired from all the worrying. The sight of the boy had frightened him too. A little.

Erza asked about the boy since she didn't know about it. Lucy quickly explained it to her. Gray quietly joined the room with Lisaana.

"That's creepy," declared Gray, when she was finished explaining.

Lisaana nodded in agreement, she clenched her fists tightly as she looked at Lucy. Lucy remembered the crying and asked Natsu about it.

Again Natsu shook his head, "There was no one in the house, the door was closed. I had to break it, it was jammed.

So that was the loud crash from earlier. Then…

"But- the door was wo-rking fine when I op-ened it," Lucy stuttered.

They all looked confused. Erza got up, "Enough about this, I will report this to the master. Get some rest Lucy." She ushered everyone out.

Lucy was left alone with silence. After a few moments the door opened again. Lisaana entered the room. She took a seat beside Lucy's bed and sighed. Lisaana ran a hand through her snow white hair.

"How are you feeling, Lucy?"

Lucy blinked, clearly thrown off by the simplicity of this question. "I'm fine, thanks."

Lisaana nodded, "Glad to hear, but Natsu was really worried about you."

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

"Of course, in fact, we didn't even finish our job. He hurried back even though the client was in distress." Lisa laughed but her laugh was cold and hollow. However, her sapphire blue eyes widened with jealousy.

"Natsu really cares for you… I-," Lisaana gasped the words as if they hurt her. She took in a deep breath and tried to speak once more but her voice wasn't working properly for some reason.

Lucy somehow sensed what she was going to say, she grabbed Lisaana's hand and looked at her. "Oh no, Lisaana… Natsu-" Lucy hesitated, "We… aren't like that. For real."

It was the truth, he was like her brother and he probably thought her as a sister too, but why did saying those words hurt her so much?

Lisaana stared at Lucy for a long time, her eyes were getting clouded with tears. She sniffed and took her hand back from Lucy to wipe her tears with her sleeve.

"Are you sure? Natsu seems to really… care for you." Lisaana whispered, her eyes cast down as if she was ashamed. The word 'care' sounded like it was forced out of her.

Lucy shook her head stoutly, "It's the truth. And besides… he's like a brother to me." Lucy said those words softly.

Lisaana pursed her lips and closed her eyes, "Thank you, Lucy.." She whispered. Lucy smiled at her, "About what?"

Lisaana opened her eyes and smiled back at Lucy, "I really… love him".

* * *

When they were back at the guild Erza right away went to the master's office to report the matter. The guild was worried about Lucy but it quickly subsided. Lucy was glad that it did because their questions brought back unpleasant memories. But she was grateful for their worry, she quickly thought.

When Lucy turned she found Natsu looking at her. She jumped and stepped back.

"Why did you go on a quest alone?" Natsu asked quietly.

Lucy laughed uncomfortably, "Because I wanted to, isn't that obvious."

"Next time, don't go by yourself, you got hurt this time," Natsu said firmly. Lucy suddenly felt angry. Who was he to boss her around? And the reason she went on the mission alone was because Natsu had excluded her. She wanted to tell him that but instead-

"Is it because I'm weak?" Lucy didn't know where the question came from, she was surprised herself. But now that she thought of it… it was the question she had always wanted to ask him whether she knew it or not.

Natsu said nothing, he just looked down at his feet. The uncomfortable silence hung over them like a wet blanket.

Lucy repeated the question again. She felt her heart pounding; she was afraid, truth be told. She looked at Natsu who was avoiding her gaze. Lucy felt tears forming so she quickly blinked them back.

"Is it because I'm weak that you didn't include me in the quest?" She had to know the answer even if it broke her silently inside.

Natsu looked at her and took a deep breath. "It's not that you are weak, I thought you might use the time to increase your stamina and magic."

Lucy blinked, the same words but differently spoken. Those weren't the words she had wanted to hear.

They gazed at each other which seemed like a long time. Natsu almost looked pleading when Lisaana called out to him.

Natsu was relieved to have found an excuse; he turned around to go to Lisaana.

Just like a pet, Lucy thought bitterly. He glanced back at Lucy almost guiltily as if he could hear her thoughts.

Lucy glanced at Natsu's and Lisaana's retreating backs. She touched her cheeks to find it wet with tears. Why was she so weak? Natsu didn't need her anymore.

* * *

Not anymore.

Back at her apartment, Lucy started ripping her diary. The words written in the diary were filled with memories with Natsu. She wanted to erase it, everything.

She looked down at the latest entry in her diary.

_'Dear Diary,_

_Today was the same as usual, Natsu talking with Lisaana, Natsu drinking with Lisaana, Natsu laughing with Lisaana._

_Whenever I see them together my heart hurts. Why does it hurt?_

_Sometimes I feel as if Lisaana's taking my place. Erasing my existence._

_Natsu still talks to me but it doesn't feel the same anymore. When he talks his gaze is always on Lisaana, even when he's looking at me I can tell that he's thinking of someone else._

_I sound like a jealous brat, maybe I am but I don't want to feel like this anymore.'_

Tears dropped onto the ripped piece of paper. Lucy kneeled down and hugged the pathetic piece of paper to herself. Why was she so weak? Lucy let out a frustrated scream and sobbed. She sobbed till she felt as if she was robbed of her tears.

* * *

Lucy woke up, curled on the floor. She had fallen asleep crying. She still clutched the ripped piece of paper. Lucy got up and threw the remains in the trash can.

Lucy pace around the room a few times thinking what she would do. Deciding with a great feel of reluctance she went to the guild and went straight to the Master's office.

Lucy knocked on the door when she heard the Master say come in. Lucy went in and closed the door behind her, the Master was on his desk sorting through a pile of documents. He looked up and glanced at Lucy questioningly.

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

Exhaling Lucy told the Master. "Master... I would like to leave Fairy Tail."

Master stared at Lucy in stunned silence. "Why?" He let the documents he was holding drop on his desk.

"I just... need the time. To get stronger." Lucy's voice wavered. She didn't tell the Master the real reason, though. She felt as if she didn't belong in Fairy Tail anymore. No, that wasn't right. She felt that she couldn't stay in Fairy Tail anymore because of _him._

The Master hopped down his desk and looked at Lucy as if he knew. "Are you sure you won't regret this?"

Lucy shook her head, tears rolled down her face. The Master sighed and went to his desk and took out a stamp. He motioned her to show her marked hand. Master looked at the mark for a long time and brought down the stamp.

Lucy looked at her unmarked hand. "Thank you, Master." She really did it. She was no longer a part of Fairy Tail.

The Master nodded and sighed. "Be careful, my child." Lucy hugged the tiny Master who turned his face away, trying to conceal his forlorn face and with that, she was gone.

* * *

Lucy went back to her apartment and started packing her clothes. She made sure that the keys were firmly strapped to the belt. Lucy glanced at her room for the last time. She wasn't sure if she would return here again.

Lucy boarded a train going to a place called Lenir. Lucy had chosen this place because it was far from Magnolia. And it was a town surrounded by forests which were perfect for her to train in.

Lucy fingered her keys and thought of Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail was her family and now she was leaving her family. Lucy leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

It was a long time before she could sleep but the train rocked her to a blissful oblivion before she could even feel it.

"Last stop! Lenir!" The train conductor yelled. Lucy roused and gathered her belongings and stepped out of the train.

It smelled of fresh dirt and trees. Lucy unhooked one of her keys and called out Loke.

With a swooshing sound, Loke appeared beside her. "Lucy?" Loke looked around for enemies but found none.

"I just wanted someone to be beside me," Lucy answered. Loke nodded and looked at his master's petite sad back.

Loke matched his pace with Lucy, "So... why are we here?"

As an answer, Lucy waved her hand in front of him. Loke blinked a few times before he could guess the reason; her mark wasn't there.

"You left Fairy Tail?!" Loke gaped at her. Why would his master leave Fairy Tail? He knew that Fairy Tail meant the world to Lucy, especially that pink haired bastard Loke thought darkly.

Lucy looked sadly at Loke, "Look, I left because of a lot of reasons. Please don't ask me, it's complicated."

Loke nodded, he would follow his master anywhere. Even if it was to the depths of hell. He owed her an unpayable debt, she had saved his life.

After a few hours of walking, Lucy was absolutely famished. She gulped down the water which Loke brought. Loke glanced worriedly at Lucy, "I think you should send me back, I am taking too much of your power."

Lucy sat in a few moments of silence and sighed, "Ok, I'm sending you back. I don't want to die after all. Thanks for accompanying me."

Loke bowed and disappeared with a flash of light.

Lucy rested for a few more moments and got up. She looked around her surroundings. She would start training tomorrow. Everywhere she went she was surrounded by trees. This place was practically a jungle. No wonder no one stopped at Lenir.

Lucy looked around for a town but failed to. She would have to camp here for the night. Lucy glanced at the ground which was covered with moss and ants. Lucy shuddered, she didn't want to sleep here. If she had to she would sleep in the trees.

The sun was almost down so for the time being Lucy made a campfire. The fire crackled and Lucy was reminded of a dragon slayer.

Why did she have to fall in love with him? She admitted it finally. But perhaps it was too late already.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. A young man stepped out of the trees and looked at Lucy.

"What are you doing here?" The man enquired. His face was not visible because of the shadows, however, his voice sounded young.

Lucy didn't know what to say, "Who are you?"


	3. Zeref, The Dark Mage

**Hello, everyone! I just wanted to tell you that I'm a grammar nazi and I can't stand to see any mistakes especially if it's in something I wrote. So please do not hesitate to correct any grammar mistakes. I often find myself overlooking them because I don't proofread it properly. Thank you!**

* * *

"I'm Zeref."

Lucy stared at the man who declared himself to be the dark mage Zeref. "You're crazy."

The man approached Lucy and shook his head. "I really am Zeref. And what are you doing here? A fairy won't survive the woods."

Lucy flinched, how did he know that she was from Fairy Tail? This man didn't look so evil. With a pair of droopy eyes and coal black hair, he looked almost harmless. But still...

Lucy gripped her keys preparing to summon one of her spirits. Taking in Lucy's behavior Zeref quickly raised his hands in alarm.

"Hold it! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Lucy hesitated, "Really?" Zeref nodded reassuringly. Lucy loosened her grip on her keys and looked at Zeref.

"Why are you here?" Lucy asked. She accepted that Zeref wouldn't do her any harm. If he had any intention of doing that he would have killed her immediately.

Zeref smiled a little, "I could ask the same thing to you Miss Fairy."

Lucy shook her head, "I'm not a fairy anymore and my name's Lucy."

Zeref frowned at Lucy, "Why did you leave Fairy Tail?" Lucy looked down because she was afraid that she might start crying. "I don't want to answer that if you don't mind."

Zeref shrugged and sat down next to Lucy. Lucy stared at Zeref. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting next to you, is that a problem?" Zeref asked.

Lucy said nothing, she scooted a little away from Zeref. Zeref said nothing and continued to stare at the fire. The fire had grown brighter.

Lucy feeling guilt blurted, "I'm sorry." Zeref turned to look at Lucy with a raised eyebrow, "Why are you apologizing?"

"Well..." Lucy was at a loss for words. She was thinking of a reply when a loud howl startled them both.

Zeref stood up and talked to Lucy, "You should go back now. It's dangerous for you to be here longer."

Lucy gripped Zeref's arm in haste. He flinched and lifted Lucy's hand off him. "I don't have anywhere to go! Please let me go with you!"

Zeref looked at Lucy's pleading eyes. He gave in. What was he supposed to do? When an exceptionally beautiful mage looked at him like that.

"Okay. come with me." Zeref held out a hand to her reluctantly.

Lucy hesitated before taking his hand. Was she doing the right thing?

Zeref gripped her hand and whispered, "Don't worry, it won't hurt to follow me." Zeref closed his eyes and chanted some words. A black magic circle appeared around them.

Lucy looked at the runes in the magic circle. The runes had to be ancient, she had never come across these runes. And then with a loud snap, the world turned black.

* * *

"Wake up."

Lucy woke to a calm and soft voice. She looked up to find Zeref staring at her. "What?"

Zeref just shrugged and said, "It's just that you did really well teleporting considering it was your first time."

Lucy got up and looked at her surroundings. It was a bad idea to get up immediately because she fell over to the side when Zeref caught her.

"Thanks," Lucy mumbled. For some reason, Zeref always looked surprised whenever he touched her. Zeref nodded quickly regaining his composure.

"Anyway, your bed is right there." He indicated to the bed in the corner.

Lucy looked at the bed, "Thank you." Zeref said nothing and went outside. Lucy ran over to Zeref, "Wait, where are you going?"

Zeref looked blankly at her, "To take a walk, do you want to come along?"

Lucy nodded and matched her pace with Zeref's. "Thanks for everything. I was wrong about you, you're a pretty nice guy"

Zeref looked away and said that it was nothing but Lucy could see him blushing. The sight of the dark mage Zeref amused her.

Lucy laughed out loud, "So you do blush! And the whole time I thought that you were a dull and sullen guy."

"Shut up," Zeref said, his voice muffled with embarrassment.

Lucy looked ahead, still smiling. She was feeling better than before. Laughing did wonders. But she was struck by the sudden memory of Acnologia. Lucy shuddered, she thought she would die back then.

Zeref looked at Lucy guiltily. "You're thinking of Acnologia, aren't you?"

"Are you reading my mind?" Lucy asked nervously. Zeref shook his head, "I wasn't exactly reading your mind. I felt it, more like."

Zeref opened his mouth once more, "I am sorry, about everything…"

Lucy shook her head, "It's okay," but it wasn't. The 7 years gap had stripped her too much. Lucy remembered her father with a dull ache.

Zeref stopped and looked at Lucy oddly. "Why did you leave Fairy Tail anyway?"

Lucy exhaled and thought that he would ask her again if she didn't answer this time so she just explained the whole story. It was hard to explain without shedding a tear or two.

Zeref looked at her with pitying eyes while she told her story. When she finished Zeref looked down at his feet, "I didn't know Natsu was like that."

"How do you know Natsu anyway?" Lucy asked.

Zeref smiled defeatedly, "I intend for Natsu to kill me." Lucy was shocked but managed to get out a few words, "Why would you?"

Zeref glanced sadly at Lucy, "If you were somebody else you would have died already, because of the corruptedness in my magic."

Zeref managed to avoid answering the question but Lucy let him because she felt that it was a sensitive topic for Zeref. Lucy stopped and sat on a tree stump. "But why didn't I die?"

Zeref shook his head, "I don't know, I think there's something special about you."

Lucy laughed at this, "The reason why my friends left me is because I'm not special."

"Don't flatter yourself. You are special, to me anyways," Zeref said almost teasingly. Lucy blushed at this.

"To be truthful, I don't know Zeref," Lucy pronounced his name as if she wasn't still used to it.

Zeref leaned against the tree and smiled gently at her, "You may not believe it but I do believe in you."

He looked at her briefly and looked at the sky, "Do you want to be special?"

Lucy thought about this, she did want to be special. If she had been special perhaps her friends at Fairy Tail would have been beside her. Perhaps Natsu would have still been beside her.

Out loud she said, "Can you? Can you make me special?"

Zeref nodded, "Of course, you want to be stronger don't you?" He smiled gently at her. Zeref didn't show his doubts on his face, though. What was he doing, offering to help a former fairy? But something about Lucy aroused something in him. A forgotten memory…

Lucy looked down and nodded. She touched her cheeks, they felt so warm right now. Calling it special made it sound so weird. Why did she call it special?

Zeref chuckled as if he knew her thoughts and held out his hand for her to shake. Lucy looked at Zeref in wonder. She always thought that Zeref was evil but here he was, right in front of her and offering to train her. Lucy reached out and shook his head and smiled at him.

Zeref blushed a little when Lucy smiled at him. After all Lucy's smile was as bright as the sun.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the guild.

Natsu was looking for a familiar blonde mage around the guild. But with Lisaana next to him it was hard to do so.

"Say, Natsu? Wanna go on a job just the two of us?" Lisaana asked with her big blue eyes. Natsu grinned at Lisaana but shook his head, "What are you talking about? What about Happy?"

Lisaana sighed in frustration, "Fine, let's take Happy too." At that moment, Erza appeared next to Lisaana so suddenly that caused Natsu to squeal.

"Did you wet your pants Flame-head?" Gray asked from the other side. Juvia was at his side swooning at how her Gray-sama's perfect hair looked.

Natsu scowled and yelled back, "You wanna fight Ice-princess?"

The moment Gray heard the challenge he stripped his clothes and brought his fists together, "Anytime, bastard!" Juvia squealed with excitement as she always did when she caught sight of Gray's fine body.

Just as the two were about to fight, Erza with her massive sword intervened. "You idiots! Do you want to die?" Erza glared at them causing them to shrink in fear.

Lisaana laughed nervously and asked Erza, "Do you need anything Erza?" Erza could always make people nervous with her glare.

Erza shook her head and said, "No, I was just wondering where Lucy was."

Lisaana frowned at that, she couldn't help but feel… jealous when she heard Erza say that. Lucy was still an important existence to Team Natsu.

Natsu looked up, apparently recovering from Erza's death glare. "Come to think of it, I couldn't smell Lucy today."

Hearing Natsu's words, Erza became worried. Lucy didn't come to the guild for two days. Could she still be upset about getting kicked out of the team? They didn't kick her out directly but it was implied. No, that couldn't be. Lucy wasn't so childish. And she knew how much the team had missed Lisaana.

With an unsettling decision, Erza decided to let it go. "Natsu we are going on a mission." Perhaps she would cheer up if they gave her some rent money and a slice of strawberry cake, her favorite.

* * *

Lucy couldn't sleep. Her head was filled with thoughts of Erza, Gray, Happy, Zeref, Lisaana and lastly Natsu. That was a lot of people to think of him.

The moonlight shone through the narrow window which landed on her eye. It caused her to flinch.

She got up and felt around her. It was hard to see in the dark. Lucy bumped into the table when the lights suddenly came on.

Lucy's eyes felt as if it were on fire, it was so blinding. "Aargh!" She accidentally knocked a glass off her side table.

Lucy squinted at the person and sure enough, it was Zeref, with an amused expression plastered on his face. "Lucy?"

Lucy exclaimed in embarrassment and frustration. "You didn't have to turn on the lights!"

Zeref looked away sarcastically, "Of course, I had to, you were making a big racket bumping into things."

Lucy blushed and hid under her covers. She realized that Zeref called her name for the first time. Lucy liked the way her name sounded in his mouth.

There was a soft rustle near her and she felt Zeref sitting next to her bed. The bed shifted under his weight.

"Why are you still awake Zeref?" Lucy asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Zeref smiled and looked at Lucy. "What about you?"

Lucy shrugged, "The same as you."

Zeref pulled at her covers causing her to stare at him. "Since we can't both sleep, let's go outside and train."

Lucy looked at Zeref, her mouth wide open. "Don't you think it's too early for training? It's like three in the morning. And the moon's still up."

Zeref shrugged nonchalantly, "When you become immortal, you forget how time works. So get up Lucy."

Lucy got up grudgingly when she was struck by a sudden question and asked Zeref, "How old are you?"

Zeref smiled deviously and answered, "I'm over 400 years old, is there anything else you're curious about me?"

Lucy shook her head, she had a lot of questions, but somehow, seeing Zeref's devious expression made her stow away her questions.

Lucy got up and slipped into her shoes. She hooked her keys onto her belt while she hoped that Aquarius wouldn't get mad for waking up at this hour if she had to use her.

By the time they got outside, the sun rose up a little causing little daylight to spread across the grass.

Zeref motioned her to follow him, Lucy willingly did so. Zeref's walking pace was faster than her's. It seemed like he was gliding across the smooth flat grass.

Zeref stopped and turned to look at Lucy. "Since you are capable of summoning three spirits at a time, let's focus on summoning five of them at once. That's our goal."

Lucy nodded, this would be a hard training. She anticipated his next words.

Zeref turned once again, his back facing her. "Let's start with 50 push-ups and 50 crunches."

Lucy blinked, "What?

It was now Zeref's turn to look at her strangely, "Like I said, 50 push-ups an-"

Lucy raised her hands. "I heard what you said. I just didn't realize that we would be starting like that?"

Zeref looked at Lucy pointedly, "Lucy, training is supposed to be hard. I thought you wanted to be stronger to show your friends at Fairy Tail."

Zeref then sat on a tree stump and looked at Lucy waiting for her reply. Lucy grunted in response which caused Zeref to chuckle slightly.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Start the training."

Lucy nodded and sighed, this would be a hard and long training.

Lucy got down on the ground and set her hands at a distance which was slightly bigger than her shoulder's width. She went down with a huff and came up once more. She continued till she reached 30.

Lucy rolled to her side and panted. This was harder than she thought.

"Giving up already?," Zeref's cold voice cut through.

Lucy shook her head vigorously and got up again She wasn't going to give up. She would show Lisaana that she was underestimating her. And especially that pink haired dragon slayer.

* * *

Team Natsu had packed their belongings and waited for the train to arrive. And as usual, Natsu was making a big fuss.

"Can't I just walk to the place?" Natsu whined.

"Shut your whining, Natsu!" Erza yelled loudly, slamming her hand down on one of the luggage causing them to rattle loudly.

Lisaana wondered what could be in that luggage to make such a noise. Erza always seemed to pack ridiculous things, like for instance, a teapot. She couldn't imagine what use a teapot would be to them.

Natsu gulped and said no more. The idea of angering Erza than riding a train frightened him more.

"Say Erza? Where are we going?" Gray asked. His silver cross necklace glinted in the sunlight.

Erza turned her head and answered Gray, "We're going to Lenir, and apparently it takes two days to arrive there."

Hearing this Natsu perked up and started to run. Erza grumbled and punched Natsu in the face causing him to lose consciousness. Erza picked up Natsu's lifeless body effortlessly.

The train conductor came out and waved his hands, "The train is arriving, please stand back!"

As the team settled in, the train began to move slowly then faster.

Gray sat near the window. He gazed out the window, he wondered about the blonde haired mage. Gray couldn't help but feel worried about Lucy.

It had been days since Gray saw Lucy, he almost missed her cheerful laugh around the guild. He looked at Natsu and sighed, his head was on Lisaana's lap. He looked almost content.

Unlike Erza and Natsu, Gray wasn't that dense. He knew why Lucy wasn't coming to the guild. Gray glared at Natsu, it was all his fault. Gray had wanted to visit Lucy but he wasn't sure if that was a wise decision.

So in the end, Gray decided not to bother Lucy. She would come to the guild sooner or later.

Gray nodded to himself, satisfied with the ill-considered decision.

Lisaana could see Gray nodding to himself in his boxers. He was really a wonder. How could he strip without anyone noticing? Erza was already working up a death punch, Lisaana could see.

Lisaana flinched and prayed for Gray. 'Good Luck'

* * *

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	4. Lucy's realization

**Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Please don't forget to review or favorite!**

* * *

With her final spurt of energy, Lucy completed her push-ups and crunches. Lucy panted and rolled on her side. The ground felt cool and nice. Lucy sighed as she let the coolness cool her sweat.

Zeref got up from his tree stump and looked down at Lucy, "You're weaker than I thought."

Lucy glared at Zeref, "Shut up! I am trying my best you know."

Zeref sighed and bent down. He put his arms under her and lifted her up. Lucy squealed and fidgeted. "What are you doing?!"

"Carrying you, is that a problem?" Zeref asked. It wasn't a problem exactly, aside from the fact that he carried her the way a groom would carry a bride.

Lucy was unable to look at Zeref for some reason. It was true that Lucy couldn't walk because she was so tired. Why did Zeref have to be … direct?

Lucy looked away and grumbled, "You know, you're not cute at all."

Zeref blinked at this, "Do you want me to be cute?"

Lucy looked at Zeref in frustration, "That was a joke, Zeref!"

Zeref laughed at this, when they were back at the hut Zeref ordered Lucy to take a bath which Lucy was planning to do gladly.

Lucy forced Zeref out of her room and stripped her clothes. She stepped into the bathroom and turned the shower on quickly.

She did very badly today, Lucy reflected. How was she supposed to overpower Natsu if she couldn't even do push-ups and crunches properly?

Lucy sighed and looked at herself in the steam covered mirror. She looked worn out and tired, which she was.

She remembered how Zeref carried her, his arms were really strong. Just being in his arms made her feel calmer. Just like Natsu.

Lucy blushed and then frowned. Why couldn't she get that person out of her head?

When she got out of the shower, Lucy slipped into her new clothes which were conveniently brought by Virgo.

Lucy sighed and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Lucy, are you done with your shower?" Zeref said. Lucy nodded but she realized that he couldn't actually see her; she opened the door.

Zeref stepped in and sat on her bed. Lucy folded her arms and looked at Zeref questioningly.

"You would think that I could get some rest, considering how I trained today," Lucy muttered sarcastically.

Zeref tilted his head and chuckled, "You're right, I just wanted to let you know that you have to get up at five tomorrow." He continued.

Lucy's eyes widened, "Do you mean five in the morning?"

Zeref got up and patted Lucy's hair playfully. "Of course, good night Lucy."

With a creak the door closed. Lucy sat on her bed exhausted because of her training. Lucy raised her right hand and gazed at it with sadness.

The pink mark was just a memory on her hand now. Just a fading memory. Perhaps it already had faded.

Lucy felt herself losing consciousness. With a thump, her hand fell to her side with Lucy sleeping soundly.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Natsu asked Erza, his face green. He had asked the question for the hundredth time.

Erza tired from hearing the repetitive question, shook her head, "Not yet but we are close."

Natsu groaned and sank back into his seat. "How close is close?"

Lisaana giggled and ran her hand through his head. Natsu closed his eyes for a brief moment and stayed like that for a while.

Gray rolled his eyes and remarked sarcastically. "How close is how close? What a great question."

Natsu sat up and glared at Gray, "You were sarcastic just now."

Gray glared back, "Oh yeah? Do you have some proof that I was?"

Natsu opened his mouth to retort when Erza banged their heads together.

"Enough with your stupid bickering!" Erza yelled.

Natsu pulled back, his head was twittering with tiny Grays. "Geez, Erza."

The compartment door was opened with a slam. The conductor peered his head in and announced, "Last stop, Lenir!

Natsu perked up and shot out of the window with Happy behind him.

Erza rolled her eyes, as the train rolled to a stop she gathered the luggage. They were all on the platform when Natsu turned around so suddenly causing Lisaana to squeak in surprise.

Natsu bent down and sniffed the air. "I can smell Lucy."

Erza and Gray looked at each other in disbelief, "Lucy? No way."

Lisaana looked down and folded her arms in discomfort. "Ok. We know that Lucy was here but does it really matter?"

Gray scratched his chin thoughtfully, "I guess it doesn't but why would Lucy be here?"

Natsu got up and patted his pants, "I don't know, Lucy might have been on a job." Gray scratched his head at that, she couldn't have went on a job because Mira would have notified them if she did.

Happy flew around their heads and chirped, "Let's go, I am hungry. Buy me some fish!"

They hoisted their luggage and searched for the nearest inn ignoring Happy's remark.

* * *

Lucy woke up to the smell of coffee and toast. She got up and walked to the door. She opened the door slightly letting the delicious aroma surround her.

Lucy found Zeref sitting on a table chewing on his toast. "Good morning," Lucy said. She sat in front of Zeref. It was a weird sight seeing the dark mage, Zeref chewing on his toast.

His eyes focused on her and mumbled good morning. Zeref's hair was ruffled in a way which made him look like an overgrown child.

Lucy giggled and reached out to him. She sorted lock by lock until his hair was neat and tidy.

Zeref looked down and coughed uncomfortably, "I'm not a kid, Lucy."

Lucy caught herself and blushed. She bit her lips out of embarrassment and ruffled his hair again.

Zeref looked at Lucy, "What did you do that for?" Lucy said nothing, her face was still a shade of pink. She just did that unconsciously.

Zeref finished the last of his toast and announced, "After you're done eating, let's go out to town."

"Do you have something to buy?" Lucy asked Zeref.

Zeref nodded, "I have a few ingredients to buy." He got up and wore his black cloak. "Meet me by the river." The door shut with a loud thump. Lucy stared at the door.

Sighing, Lucy picked at her food. She buttered her toast and ate it. After she was done she brushed off the crumbs and went out following Zeref.

It was still dark but there was enough light for Lucy to see around her. The walk to the river was stubbly. Lucy stepped carefully around the rocks when she tripped.

But a pair of strong arms prevented her from falling. Lucy looked up, "Thanks."

Zeref shrugged but his expression was pained, "Anytime." He motioned to her, "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go."

* * *

I think we are lost," Gray announced bluntly.

Erza whipped her head around, her mouth wide open. "That can't be, I'm pretty sure that I checked the map."

Gray tilted his head, "Well, I think not knowing where we are counts as being lost." Erza slammed her fist against the nearest tree bark causing the team to flinch.

"Anyways, let's go. There's no use moping around." Erza said defiantly.

"This place is like jungle…" Lisaana mumbled. She turned around expecting a pink haired dragon slayer. But she found no one.

"Say Erza, where's Natsu?" Lisaana asked.

Erza looked around a few times and cursed, "That dimwit, he got separated from us! Along with Happy." Added Erza after noticing that the Happy wasn't here.

Lisaana looked worriedly at Erza, "We have to find them."

Erza sighed and nodded, "Let's split up and look for them. It's faster that way."

* * *

"Wait, Zeref!" Lucy panted, clutching the tree next to her.

Zeref clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Hurry up, we only have a few hours until sunset."

The walk to town wasn't easy. The trail was stubbly and steep. Lucy knelt down and gasped for air.

Zeref looked down at Lucy, his eyes softened. "Hey, if you're really that exhausted, you can wait for me here," Zeref said.

He took off his back and took out a water bottle. He handed it to Lucy who drank it gratefully.

"Thanks," Lucy gulped the water hastily. A drop of water trickled down her neck. His eyes followed the trickling water.

Zeref looked away blushing, "I'll be back in a few hours, so don't move. Okay?"

Lucy nodded, She was too tired to speak anything.

Zeref turned to go but he stopped, "I'll be back fast." With that Zeref left Lucy.

Luy gazed at Zeref's retreating back. He rarely made a sound when he moved. He was as swift as a bird and he was as dark as the oncoming night.

* * *

"I'm going to beat that guy to a pulp when I find him," Gray muttered darkly.

Gray wiped the sweat from his brows. This place was like a maze. Gray spent a lot of time finding a certain dragon slayer much to his annoyance.

He was about to retreat when he heard something rustle in the bushes. His cross necklace jingled as he went near to the sound. He cleared the bushes to find a familiar blonde haired mage crouching.

"Lucy?"

* * *

"Lucy?" A cool voice called out. Lucy's head shot up to find a familiar, astounded ice mage hovering over her. Gray.

For a fleeting moment, Lucy wanted to get up and hug Gray but Lucy remembered her determination. She looked away, unable to look at Gray.

Lucy stuttered, "Listen, I'm not going back, you don't need to worry about me." Gray blinked, confused. "Why aren't you going back? Aren't you on a job?"

It was Lucy's turn to be confused. She couldn't believe her ears, she looked at Gray in disbelief.

"You don't know?" Lucy's voice rose higher with every word she spoke.

Gray scratched his head, "No, is there something I should know?" His biceps bulged as his folded his arms in confusion.

Lucy crossed her arms and said bluntly, "I left the guild.

His eyes fell upon her right hand where no mark was visible. Gray's eyes widened, "I… why?" Gray's eyes lingered on her right hand.

Lucy looked down at her feet, she was trying to say the reason but failed to answer.

Gray grasped Lucy's shoulders and shook her, "Why did you leave?"

Her brown uncertain eyes found his cold black ones. He could feel her steadying herself.

"I… felt weak and lonely. I just wanted some time to get stronger."

Gray remembered what Natsu said to her and felt sad, "Are you training alone?"

Lucy shook her head and trembled a little, "I found someone who's willing to train me."

Gray could literally smell guilt in the air but he decided not to ask any further. The poor girl looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Okay, but you didn't need to come here, it's dangerous here. Fairy Tail would have accepted you in the first place."

At this Lucy looked up, her eyes full of anger.

"You don't understand! I left the guild because I wasn't feeling needed much less accepted. I felt useless. Do you know how I felt after I got kicked out of the team?"

Tears were running down her face. Feeling alarmed Gray held the crying celestial mage.

He patted her head, "I'm sorry… just don't cry," Gray said lamely. He was at a loss because he didn't know how to comfort a crying girl.

Lucy laid her head on Gray's shoulder and sighed. "Gray? Can you do me a favor?"

Gray said nothing. Taking his silence as an answer, Lucy continued on. "Please don't tell anyone that I left the guild. Especially Natsu."

He looked down at Lucy in surprise, "Why?"

She pleaded with her big brown eyes, "I want them to find out by themselves, not through someone else."

Gray relented, "I got it, but promise you will stay safe?"

Lucy nodded and smiled a little, the tears stopped but it was bound to fall sooner or later again.

Gray let go of Lucy, "I have to go back or Erza will skewer me with her sword."

"Ok, bye Gray," Lucy mumbled.

Gray turned to go but he stopped and flashed Fairy Tail's mark at Lucy causing her to laugh and cry at the same time.

Lucy looked at the place where Gray had just stood. All of the sudden the emotions which were locked deep inside her heart flowed out.

Lucy clamped her mouth and sobbed silently. Her body wracked with hysteric sobs.


	5. Unexpectedness

**Hello, everyone! Please don't forget to review or follow! And I would really appreciate if you could point out a mistake if there is one. English is kind of my first language, I guess. (I'm Korean but I studied abroad since I was young. It's really easier to forget English if you don't speak the language for a long time. I live in Korea now.) So I have this idea that I shouldn't make any grammar mistakes. Thank you!**

* * *

With every footstep he took, Gray seemed to sink lower and lower. His mind was clouded with countless of thoughts.

"Gray!" Gray jumped and tripped backward to find a blue flying cat laughing at him.

"Happy?!" Gray looked at Happy, "What are you doing here?"

"Aye! We found Natsu, Gray." Happy replied. "I'm supposed to take you back to Erza." Happy made a swinging motion and added, "Erza's mad because you took so long."

Gray gulped, "Remind me again, how long did I take?"

Happy held up three soft flabby fingers, "Three hours to be exact."

Gray sighed and ruffled his head, "I'm dead meat."

* * *

Lucy heaved and cried with all her might.

She saw Zeref step out of the shadows in the corner of her blurry eyes. Lucy didn't look at him, she didn't want him to see her pitiful sight.

Zeref reached out and hugged her from the behind. Lucy sniffed and wiped at her tears with her sleeve.

"Was it Fairy Tail?" Did they come here?" Zeref asked. His breath on her neck made her skin tingle.

Lucy nodded and shifted, she turned to look at Zeref. He looked so handsome and intriguing under the shade of the trees.

Zeref wiped her tears with his thumb carefully. Zeref didn't fully realize the effect Lucy had on him until now.

He cupped Lucy's face with his cold but comforting hands and kissed her lightly.

Lucy shivered, it was just a gentle brush of the lips but it was enough to make her flare up. She momentarily forgot all her troubles as she blushed.

Zeref turned away quickly and held out his hand, "Let's go back?" His voice sounded neutral as if the kiss never happened. But Lucy didn't mind.

She nodded and took his hand shyly. By the time they reached home, the sun had already fallen.

Zeref's hair glinted in the moonlight, Lucy noticed. Black was a beautiful color she thought.

* * *

Lucy prepared to go to bed when she heard a knock.

"Can I come in?" Lucy blushed when she heard Zeref's voice. She went to the door and opened it.

Much to her relief, her voice sounded normal, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just want to show you something."Zeref gently shrugged. Lucy closed the door gently behind her, "Well, what is it?"

Zeref smiled coyly making Lucy's heart beat faster than its usual pace. He turned around, "Follow me."

The place they walked to was a hill, Lucy looked questioningly at Zeref.

Zeref walked up and motioned to Lucy to do the same. Lucy climbed up and saw Zeref sitting down. She sat down next to him.

Zeref lied down and Lucy did the same, "So, what did you want to show me?" He chuckled and pointed upwards.

Lucy looked up and her mouth fell open in amazement. The stars which were usually hidden in Magnolia were visible. The stars connected forming a lot of constellations; it was really beautiful.

"Thank you, Zeref, "Lucy whispered softly but loud enough for Zeref to hear. His attempt to comfort her made her feel warm inside.

Zeref turned his head and looked at Lucy, "So, do you mind telling me what happened back there?"

She laughed in spite of herself. "Like you said, Fairy Tail was there."

He didn't say anything. So Lucy continued on, "I met a friend of mine, he's an ice mage but that's not important. The funny thing is that he didn't know that I left the guild."

Zeref put his arm around her which was comforting.

"I'm so pathetic. I was so full of myself, I thought that they would, at least, notice that I wasn't there…"

Lucy felt the tears come again. She shut her eyes trying to prevent them from falling. Lucy felt Zeref's hand cover her eyes. "Zeref?"

He shook his head although Lucy couldn't see him, he muttered a chant. Lucy felt her eyes close and oddly enough she felt herself relax.

"Go to sleep Lucy, you've suffered enough." Lucy heard him speak.

After a few minutes of silence, Lucy was soundly asleep and the smallest of her tears escaped and marked its trail.

* * *

Gray was kneeling down with Erza's sword hovering over his shoulder. Anyone who passed by the outrageous scene could see Gray's sweat covered pale face.

"I'm sorry, Erza" Gray chattered. His voice was shaking with fear. With a low sigh, Erza lowered her sword almost reluctantly.

"Fine, just this once. We don't have time for this anyway."

Erza glared at causing him to sweat some more. "Gray, are you okay? You look like a boiled fish." Happy giggled.

Gray ignored the cat's comment and turned his head to find Natsu's body flopped over Erza's luggage wagon.

Lisaana looked worried and shot Erza a glare whenever she wasn't looking. Gray's mouth quirked up in amusement.

Erza taking the lead as always, shouted, "Let's go!"

The mission was fairly easy. The pink bastard woke up while they were fighting the _big bad monster._

Natsu later groaned on about how he didn't get his share of fighting. And then as always, Erza, who couldn't stand his whining, punched him right in the middle of his face causing him to lose consciousness once again.

The mentioned dragon slayer was sleeping on Lisaana's lap. Gray looked at them glumly. _That_ was supposed to be Lucy's place.

As the train rocked on, Gray remembered how Lucy's eyes lacked any of her usual cheerfulness. He was curious, admittedly. Who would train Lucy?

There was no one Lucy knew intimately that Gray knew of. Except Fairy Tail. But she left the guild so they didn't count.

Gray couldn't help but feel worried for his fellow guild mate. Fairy Tail had broken her, Gray realized with a sinking sadness. She was alone.

* * *

Lucy wore a lilac colored dress which was covered with jewels that shone every time she moved. The people around her looked as if they were made up of air.

Lucy felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned her head around; she gasped. It was Natsu. He was standing in front of her.

"Natsu?!" Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. He was wearing a black tuxedo; it looked very unnatural on him.

Natsu smiled gently which Lucy didn't know he was capable of. "Dance with me."

Lucy felt herself nod, her jeweled dress shined as she moved to join Natsu. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed upon his face.

The music started; it was a slow and beautiful music. Natsu was an incredible dancer and Lucy unknowingly blushed while she was swept away in his arms. Their bodies moved according to the music.

She felt him lean and whisper into her ear, "You look beautiful Lucy." Lucy shivered; the voice didn't belong to Natsu. It sounded lighter and more elegant.

She glanced up and saw Zeref looking down at her. "Where's Natsu?" Lucy asked, feeling confused.

Zeref didn't answer and guided her through the waltz. Lucy repeated the question. She stopped dancing and so did Zeref. Lucy put her hands on her hips as she gazed questioningly at Zeref.

"Do you really want to know?" Zeref looked sadly at her warm brown eyes.

It was just a question but Lucy felt as if it asked more than the answer. "Yes, I do," Lucy whispered, not for the world to hear, just him.

Then she felt the world spin around her. "Zeref? What's going on?!" Lucy shouted.

She fell to the ground and let herself fade.

* * *

Lucy woke up gasping. She saw a pair of cold black eyes peer into her own. Lucy almost hit him when she realized that Zeref had her arms pinned over her head. A few seconds passed and they both realized that they were in an awkward position to be in.

Lucy squirmed out of his grasp and Zeref let her go hurriedly.

"Why are you here?" Lucy panted. Her shirt was plastered to her because of her sweat.

Zeref blushed then shrugged. "You screamed in the middle of the night, you were having a bad dream I guess."

Zeref looked like he didn't have any inkling of sleep, the dark circles under his eyes looked more pronounced. Looking at him made Lucy feel guilty for disrupting from his sleep.

She reached out and took Zeref's face in her hands. His face felt cold in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Lucy whispered.

He shook his head and rested his head on her hands. They stayed like that for a few moments when Zeref shifted his position. He was much closer to Lucy and their faces were only inches apart.

Her eyes fell on his lips and she remembered the kiss. Lucy jumped and broke the atmosphere. She blushed and took back her hands as if it was burned.

"I… uh… need to take a shower!" Lucy squeaked.

Zeref raised his eyebrow and chuckled, "Go on then."

* * *

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu asked to no one in particular. Lisaana's eye twitched but managed to soothe it over by closing her eyes for a second.

Erza frowned, "Come to think of it, I didn't see Lucy before we left for our job."

Gray mumbled something about going to the toilet when he was stopped by Erza.

"Gray, do you have any idea where Lucy is?" Erza asked him.

Gray shook his head, he kept his head down because he had a guilty conscience. And Erza was very good at spotting people. He had to keep his promise to Lucy.

"Man, I thought that I could give her my share of money from the job," Natsu complained. He looked around the guild for a glimpse of blonde hair.

"She must be still sulking, after all, we kicked her out of the team," Lisaana said jealously while twirling her glass.

Natsu scratched his head at this, "That can't be, Lucy isn't that childish. Although she can be weak."

When Gray heard that he slammed his fist on the table causing the glasses to freeze and crack into splinters.

Erza punched him in the face, "What did you do that for?!"

Gray nursed his bruised cheek and pointed at Natsu accusingly, "It's because he said that Lucy's weak!"

Erza glared at Natsu who gulped visibly and quickly hid behind the job request board. He whimpered causing his fellow guild mates to shake their heads at the pitiful dragon slayer.

Then suddenly a massive hand hovered over Natsu and picked him up. Natsu protested when he saw that it was Master who picked him up.

Still hovering in midair Natsu yelled at Master. "Put me down!" His fist was suddenly enveloped in flame.

The master shook him rather violently causing him to puke; the puke caused some commotion below him.

"Lucy left the guild you ungrateful brat," Master said. His lips were pursed as Natsu tried to work out what he said.

"Oh? Is that so?" Natsu said indifferently. Master let him down and glared at him. "Is that all you're going to say?" Natsu nodded and walked outside the guild.

Lisaana looked at Natsu's retreating back and called him, "Natsu, where are you going?"

Natsu tilted his head at her question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world."To Lucy's apartment, where else?" Natsu replied.

Gray, who was unable to take it punched Natsu in the face causing him to groan.

"She quit the guild, you dumbass!" Gray shouted. He was heaving with anger. Juvia glanced worriedly at Gray. He was never agitated like this.

Natsu slowly reprocessed what Gray had said, "She left the guild?" His face slowly paled.

Gray glared at Natsu, he had to force himself to not punch him again. Natsu's nose was starting to bleed but he paid no attention to it. Natsu stared at the ground for a few minutes before turning to run towards Lucy's house.

* * *

The house was empty. Her clothes weren't there and worst of all her letters weren't there. Natsu sniffed every corner of the room, "I can't smell her, she hasn't been here for a week I think."

Erza punched the wall causing the glass pane to rattle. The room was in silence. Natsu gazed sadly outside the window. "It's all my fault."

Natsu's lower lip trembled, Gray could tell that he was trying really hard not to cry in front of them.

Then they saw smoke arise outside the window. They looked down and saw the landlady burn some furniture. The furniture belonged to Lucy.

Natsu roared and jumped outside the window. He tried to scavenge some of the remaining furniture when he felt a slap across his face.

"What in the world are you doing?!" The landlady demanded.

Natsu said nothing and looked at the burnt furniture. Most of them turned into ashes. Natsu's nose started to hurt from the smell of the ash when he saw a photograph flutter in the air.

He grabbed it by the corner carefully, his eyes scanned the almost burnt photograph. He cast his eyes down, it was a picture of Lucy and Natsu smiling with their arms over their shoulders.

He missed her smile and he lost it.


	6. 2 Years Later

**Hello, everyone! Thank you all for your support! If you enjoy this chapter please don't forget to follow or review!**

* * *

**2 years later~**

* * *

"Lucy! Look out!" Lucy heard Zeref call out.

"I got this!" She yelled back. She looked at the oncoming monster. She grinned and licked her lips in anticipation. Over these years, Lucy seemed to develop a taste. A taste for danger.

Lucy gripped her celestial sword which was bestowed upon her by the celestial king after helping the king to search for something important. It was fairly easy because Zeref had helped her.

Zeref had trained her with the sword for countless of hours and Lucy became not only stronger but extremely agile.

She lifted the glowing sword and jumped. Her chocolate brown eyes bore into the wild red eyes.

She slashed at the monster, slicing the neck cleanly of its body. The head of the monster flopped onto the ground and rolled.

Lucy could see the dying red eyes; she thrust the sword deeper and watched as the monster's life flickered out before her. The ground was splattered with black blood. It was as if the ground was a piece of paper and the writer simply spilled the ink and forgot to clean it afterward.

She glanced at the blood covered sword; with a murmur, the blood on the sword vanished and with a sigh she put it back into its sheath.

Lucy turned around and saw Zeref smiling at her. She smiled back. She walked towards him and gave him a slight flick on his forehead.

"Proud of me?" Lucy asked.

"Very." Zeref looked down at the monster and frowned. He gripped her hand and muttered a chant.

A black magic circle appeared which encircled them and then they disappeared.

"You've got to teach me teleporting," Lucy said, she folded her arms and looked at Zeref.

He shook his head much to her disappointment, "No, it's too dangerous. It takes years to master it."

"And it's black magic, it would take too much of your magic," Zeref added.

Lucy nodded, feeling slightly crestfallen. She became a lot stronger than before and she learned a new type of celestial magic. She could summon her spirits without her keys but Lucy felt more comfortable with the keys dangling from the key holder.

But it wasn't enough. It was never enough, the urge to become stronger burned more than ever.

Zeref had tried to warn her before that containing too much magic was sometimes dangerous. But still…

She glanced at Zeref who was a few steps ahead of her. He had gotten paler and thinner. Lucy worried for Zeref.

She sometimes felt afraid, afraid of Zeref leaving her alone. She didn't want to cry and feel alone anymore.

Lucy reached out and tugged at Zeref's cloak a little, drawing his attention towards her.

"What?" He asked.

She felt the words form on the tip of her tongue, Lucy hesitated a little. She thought better of it and swallowed the words back.

"Nothing."

* * *

Zeref woke up to find his shirt stained with his sweat. It was getting worse. He didn't know if he could control it anymore.

He glanced outside, it was a sight which Zeref thought he would never see again. He opened the window and stepped outside.

He landed softly on the grass which rustled softly as if singing a song. The moon shined on his hair and the owls hooted.

Zeref walked towards the old tree. He reached out and felt the tree's rough bark.

For so many years the world was inflicted pain by the humankind. He closed his hand and tightened his fist but then he remembered her smile.

Her smile was so bright that it felt as if it could cleanse all the twistedness away. He wasn't sure if he regretted the choice of letting her stay with him. Zeref's fate was to become an enemy of mankind. He wanted Lucy to know that. That no matter what he did, fate wouldn't change.

He would have to die. His fate was to be killed by Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy still didn't know anything about Zeref, he thought. But the day when she would learn it all was coming sooner or later. Zeref didn't know what he felt for her. But the feeling Lucy aroused in him was almost… nostalgic.

He remained like that for a few moments when he fell onto his knees. He grabbed his head and tried to focus. Everything turned black and he couldn't see nor feel anything.

His head was pounding and every part of his body hurt. And then it came the first attack.

Zeref screamed, clutching his head, the scream woke up all the birds and animals causing them to flutter and flap their wings causing a great disturbance in the clear night sky.

Then he heard footsteps, running towards him. The footsteps sounded light and he immediately knew to whom it belonged to.

"Don't come near me!" He shouted, his eyes were desperately trying to see. It was never like this. He never had any pains when he released his black magic.

The running stopped, Lucy looked at Zeref panicking. The area around him was completely dead and gray.

She didn't know what to do. Tears were streaming down her face. She hated to see Zeref in pain. Lucy had to do something. Even if it was foolish.

Lucy mustered up her courage and stepped forward. Zeref perked up and screamed at Lucy to get back.

But Lucy didn't listen; she advanced towards him steadily despite his protests. Then the second wave happened. Lucy was thrown off her foot and got slammed into a tree.

Then it grew awfully silent. Lucy groaned and got up. Zeref was lying on the ground, gasping for breaths.

She ran to him and enfolded him in her arms. "It's okay… everything's fine now."

Zeref opened his eyes and looked at Lucy as if for the first time. Tears escaped from his eyes, he hugged Lucy back.

"You're still alive," Zeref whispered.

Lucy nodded, and smiled sadly at him, "I am."

He hugged her tightly despite her repeated reassurances. He had to make sure that she was still there.

He saw what remained of the area in the corner of his eyes. His heart felt heavy, he wished to disappear at times like this but when he thought of not seeing Lucy's smiling face again his heart felt heavy equally.

Zeref stroked her beautiful blonde hair. It had grown longer in the past few years. Lucy now wore her hair in a braid. He untangled the braid, letting it fall past her shoulders.

He cupped Lucy's face and kissed her lightly. Lucy blushed and started to pull away, but he didn't let go. Her heart was beating fast and she was sure that Zeref could hear it. He deepened the kiss making Lucy shiver a little bit.

Lucy turned her head and stopped the kiss. "Zeref…" She mumbled.

Zeref let go immediately and looked stricken "I…"

Lucy looked away and blushed. "It's okay."

Zeref pushed back his hair in frustration, "No, it's not."

Lucy hugged him almost timidly and looked down, "Maybe… but Zeref... I- it's nothing."

* * *

"What's wrong with me?" Lucy muttered and leaned against the doorway. She felt tired and sluggish.

Lucy blushed suddenly as she thought of the kiss again. Zeref had kissed her for the second time. She covered her face with her hands, trying to forget it. But the problem was that she didn't want to forget it.

Lucy couldn't forget how Zeref gently cupped her face in his hands as if she were fragile as glass. The way Zeref kissed her made her shiver and fill her with wanting.

She pinched herself and shook her head a little. She couldn't afford to fall in love again. She was afraid of falling in love again.

Lucy stood up and wrapped her arms around herself. She went back to her room when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Zeref?" Lucy called out when she remembered that he had gone out to town to buy some more bandages.

Lucy went to the front door when the doorbell rang again. "Coming!" Lucy yelled.

She opened the door to find a hooded figure standing in front of her.

"What-?" Lucy began but then she saw a flash of silver under his cloak. She backed up and prepared to run when the hooded figure grabbed Lucy and stabbed her in the stomach.

There was a blood curling scream then everything fell silent as if someone just turned the mute button on.

Lucy fell down with a thud and her arms fell limp by her sides. Lucy coughed some blooded and struggled to stand up when she saw a flash of gold in front of her. Loke.

"Please call Virgo, Lucy," Loke ordered. His eyes glowed and a sphere of gold light blazed from his hands.

Lucy nodded and reached for her keys. She summoned Virgo who appeared with a poof. Virgo treated Lucy without her usual punishment phrases.

Loke was in the middle of fighting the man; the hood fell down and Lucy could catch a glimpse of his face. The man had white hair which glinted like a diamond. And his eyes were the color of the sky.

The man turned suddenly catching Loke off his guard. He sliced at Loke with his unruly long claws; Loke's clothes ripped and blood started gushing out of his wound. Loke muttered a curse and he disappeared. "I'm sorry Lucy."

Lucy screamed and stood up despite Virgo's protests. She held up her right arm and summoned her celestial sword. She gripped it tightly and lunged for the man's heart.

With a clang, the man deflected her blow. The man hissed at Lucy's face. Lucy glared at him and kicked the man right in the gut with all her might.

The man growled and slashed at Lucy. Lucy avoided the attack to find her wounds reopen. She cursed and put her hand over her stomach. Lucy didn't have enough magic. Her magic was slowly depleting. She fell to her knees; everything she saw looked blurry.

The man smirked and laughed. Lucy closed her eyes waiting for the final blow when the door slammed open. It was Zeref, Lucy sighed in relief.

Zeref looked at the mess in front of him. Then he saw Lucy sitting in a pool of blood. She was clutching her stomach and looked pale.

Zeref's eyes turned red and he glared at the enemy making him flinch visibly. "Zeref-sama…" The man uttered. The man bowed immediately and cast his head down.

Zeref ignored him and went to Lucy. He picked her up, cradling her gently in his arms he went to the kitchen.

He laid her down on the sofa and started treating her wounds. Casting a glare at the man, he growled, "Get out."


	7. The Price of Immortality

**Hello, everyone! I still can't get used to the new length of the chapters. I used to write about 1000 words a chapter. I suppose this is a good thing, writing long chapters I mean. Anyway, if you enjoy this chapter please don't forget to review or follow! Thank you!**

* * *

The first thing she could feel was pain. Then fear. Lucy let out a small whimper. The door creaked open slightly and she saw Zeref looking at her worriedly. "Zeref."

He didn't say anything. He went straight to Lucy and enveloped her in his embrace.

"I'm so sorry," He kept repeating it. Lucy breathed in Zeref's scent. He smelled of soap and freshly cut grass. The smell made her feel relaxed.

"I'm okay," Lucy smiled reassuringly at Zeref. Something flickered in his eyes, he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened it.

"It's not," Zeref said. Lucy opened her mouth to protest but was stopped by a hand on her mouth. Zeref looked sadly at Lucy, "Please Lucy…"

Lucy felt herself nod; they stayed like that for a few moments when the silence was interrupted by a clear knock.

Zeref went and opened the door. She saw the man standing outside. Lucy let out a snarl; Zeref noticed that she was summoning her sword. He shook his head at Lucy, she stopped summoning her sword feeling confused.

The door closed with a creak as the man entered the room. He pulled down his hood and bowed down to Lucy. "I am extremely sorry for my behavior. I didn't know that you were a friend of Zeref-sama's.

Lucy opened her mouth to speak but faltered. Zeref-sama?

Zeref said nothing and merely fiddled with his hands. Lucy looked at the man and spoke, "It's alright. Please stand up, what is your name?"

Marcus stood up and let Lucy see his face clearly. Lucy realized that his words and his expression didn't exactly match. Arrogance was etched on his finely carved face. He was handsome, his white hair covered his left eye while his right eye was completely visible.

The only unruly thing about him was his claw. Lucy tried not to flinch at the sight of it.

"My name is Marcus and I'm Zeref-sama's _servant_." Marcus declared. Lucy raised an eyebrow at that, she shifted a little in her bed. Her gaze fell upon Zeref who was standing in the corner as if trying to disappear.

"Oh… it's nice to meet you," Lucy muttered. She raised a hand awkwardly.

A smile graced Marcus's lips, but Lucy could see that it was a sarcastic one. She was already starting to dislike Marcus.

"You calling yourself my servant is a rare sight, what's the occasion?" Zeref asked him teasingly.

Marcus pursed his lips in amusement, "Well, I think it's proper to refer to myself like that when I'm in the presence of a beautiful lady.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at that, "So what's this about you owning a _servant_?" Zeref flinched, he didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Oh… just his private joke," He waved a dismissive hand lamely. Marcus raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing.

Lucy frowned slightly, she knew that Zeref wasn't telling the truth…

Marcus clapped his hands suddenly, startling both of them, "Well, I say that it's time for lunch, don't you think?"

* * *

Marcus glanced at Lucy a few times and Lucy felt that the glances were very annoying, "Do you have something to say? It's getting a little annoying."

Marcus just raised an eyebrow at Lucy. Lucy gritted her teeth; she thought that Marcus was getting too cocky for his own good.

Her eyes fell upon his hands. They were claws but rather than resembling an animal's claw it resembled a dragon's claw.

Marcus caught Lucy looking at his hand; he lifted it for Lucy to see it a bit more clearly. "Fascinating?"

Lucy almost caught herself nodding. She turned her head away, avoiding his eyes. Marcus chuckled and sighed. Then it grew silent again.

It was not long before Marcus broke the silence. "What… is your relationship with Zeref-sama?"

Lucy choked a little and thumped herself, "What do you mean? We're just close friends…friends."

Marcus nodded and closed his eyes for a long time that Lucy thought he was sleeping. "You seem like a good girl so I will tell you this."

"Don't fall in love with him. And of course, he shouldn't fall in love with you." Marcus said.

Lucy's eyes widened a little, "What do you mean?"

Marcus looked at Lucy, "Zeref-sama is immortal whereas you are human. Do you see the difference?"

Lucy said nothing and stared out the window. She did see the difference, but she didn't want to understand. When Lucy would become old and frail, Zeref would still be the same.

Being immortal was lonely.

Marcus yawned and went outside. But before he went outside he said something that Lucy would never forget.

"I will repeat this again. Don't fall in love with him otherwise, you might kill him."

* * *

Lucy pondered over his words. She had escaped the room because she couldn't stand the grim atmosphere. How could she kill Zeref? It was a nonsensical thought. She fingered her keys for comfort and thought about it when she was interrupted by a gentle pat on her back.

"Lucy?"

"Ah… hey, Zeref." Lucy said. She was unable to look at him in the eyes for some reason. Zeref noticed and grabbed her face and looked at her seriously.

"What's wrong?" Zeref asked, concerned.

"Nothing!" Lucy stuttered and blushed furiously. She squirmed out of his grasp and took a sharp breath.

Zeref looked unconvinced but decided to let it go. "Okay." Zeref turned to go but turned abruptly.

"Say, do you want to go somewhere?" Zeref looked at her. Lucy glanced at Zeref briefly and looked away again.

"Where?" Lucy mumbled.

Zeref frowned for a moment then spoke, "I don't know, let's just take a walk." He then held out his hand for her to take. Lucy nodded and took his outstretched hand.

They walked on the trail which led to a lake. Lucy was always captivated by the lake. It was always glistening like a mirror.

They sat down on the edge of the lake. Lucy took off her shoes and socks and put them in the water. The water felt cool and refreshing. Lucy let out a sigh of contentedness.

"So… did Marcus say something to you?" Zeref asked.

Lucy turned her head to look at Zeref, "Maybe… why?"

"You don't seem to be yourself," Zeref replied. He sat down next to her and looked at her sincerely.

Lucy said nothing and pondered a little. She mustered her courage and asked a question.

"If… there was a potion to make me immortal would you let me drink it?" Lucy asked timidly.

The question caught Zeref off guard, "What do you mean?"

Lucy repeated the question slowly and Zeref shook his head and frowned. Much to her dismay, Zeref replied, "I wouldn't let you drink the potion."

Lucy's eyes widened slightly, "Huh? Why?" She was at a loss for words.

"Being immortal sounds great but you have to pay a _price_ for it. That price is too big and dear to pay."

"And…I don't want you to get hurt, Lucy. Even if you have eternal life it's very easy to die." Zeref added.

Lucy frowned, "Then what about you? I get the idea of the price being too big, but won't you also die easily?"

Zeref shook his head gently and looked painful, "No matter how many times I die, there will always be a reincarnation of me."

Lucy fell silent at this, "But it wouldn't be the same Zeref right? The reincarnation wouldn't have any memories of its past."

Zeref nodded, "Most of them don't but in rare cases some of them do."

Tears threatened to fall but Lucy held them back. She leaned her head on his shoulder and stayed like that for a while. Zeref kissed her head gently, "I'm sorry."

Lucy shook her head, "What for? You didn't do anything wrong."

Zeref said nothing; he continued to stare at the glistening lake. He opened his mouth to say something when they were interrupted by a rustle.

Both of them jumped to find Marcus standing behind them, "What are you doing here?"

Marcus scratched his head and looked seriously at Zeref, "Time's getting short. They are getting impatient."

Zeref looked grim and nodded, "What about Lucy?"

Marcus looked at Lucy and regarded her, "She's in grave danger."

Lucy jumped up and asked Marcus, "What do you mean by _they_?" It was obvious that they had a conversation when Lucy wasn't there.

Marcus looked impatiently at Lucy, "They as in demons. What in the world do you understand little girl?"

Lucy snapped at Marcus, "Don't call me a little girl!" Zeref stepped in and pushed Lucy back, "Stop it, Marcus, how much time do we have left?"

"About thirty minutes at most. The portal is releasing a lot of miasmas so it won't be wise for her to go back."

Zeref nodded, "I understand. Please do your best to hold them back."

Marcus nodded and vanished into a portal. Zeref turned abruptly and gripped Lucy's hand and pulled her.

"Listen, Lucy, we don't have enough time. We have to get you out of here." Zeref whispered hurriedly.

"I have to get out of here?! What about you?" Lucy asked furiously. She tugged on Zeref's cloak desperately. She didn't understand what was going on.

Zeref looked pleadingly at Lucy, "Lucy, please. You have to understand. You have to get out of here."

Lucy took her hand back, "No, not without you." Zeref dragged Lucy and blocked out her protest. He then turned around and shook her a little.

"Lucy! We don't have time to act like this! I can only take you as far to the town." Zeref shouted. Lucy clenched her fists; it was the first time Zeref had shouted at her. "If I leave, will I be able to see you again."

Zeref opened his mouth then closed it again, "I…"

Lucy shook her head and grasped Zeref's hands. "I'm not leaving anywhere without you." Zeref gazed at Lucy and reached out to hug her but hesitated.

Then suddenly the ground rumbled, Zeref instinctively grabbed Lucy and pulled her down. Lucy gasped and looked up alarmingly.

"Do I summon my sword?" Lucy asked Zeref. Zeref shook his head at this, "Not yet."

There were a group of people who surrounded them. Their faces were hooded by their cloak. Just like the first time Lucy met Marcus.

Were they demons? Or were they humans?

Then they moved, the wind pushed back their hoods to reveal a set of claws and wings. The demon in the middle raised its arm and the others fell in silent anticipation.

Zeref realized what was going on and thrust Lucy away from him. Lucy spluttered a protest when a lightning struck the ground. "Zeref!" Lucy screamed.

The forest was covered in smoke; the smell of burnt grass and wood was overwhelming. Lucy got up and found that she sprained her leg. She yelled in frustration.

Lucy waited for the mist to clear up when she saw a barrier surround Zeref. She sighed in relief.

The one who raised its arm simply raised an eyebrow, "So you won't fall?"

Zeref turned to find Lucy, he found her lying next to the vaporized lake. "Lucy! Get away from here!"  
The demon turned its head towards Lucy, "I see, so you're the trigger. Well then, I shall see to it that you will never see the light again!"

Lucy couldn't move, she was paralyzed with fear. Was she going to die? No, she wasn't going to die. Lucy summoned her sword and stabilized herself.

'If you want to win, you have to fight. If you can't fight, you can't win at all.' The words echoed in her mind.

Lucy gripped her sword and stared at the demon. The demon was beautiful and ugly at the same time. But none of that mattered.

Lucy closed her eyes, blocking Zeref's cries. She raised her sword and waited. She thought of her training with Zeref. Dying didn't matter. Losing him mattered.

Lucy opened her eyes at the same time lightning struck the ground. She couldn't fall victim to it this time. Everything was different now. She was strong.

Zeref looked horrified; she had to be alive underneath the vapor. Zeref waited; there was nothing he could do now. The vapor finally cleared, Zeref sank down to the ground in relief.

The sword had protected her. It had created a magic barrier around her. Lucy looked up, daring to believe herself. The sword glowed brightly as if to mock the opponents, but it shattered. The pieces glowed over the burnt grass.

Lucy got up and looked at the hilt of her sword which was slowly disappearing back into its world. Then Lucy stumbled and fell to the ground. Her magic was depleting. She couldn't believe it. Why did her magic have to deplete in the most crucial times?!

The demon hissed, "The human survived it, however, she won't be able to see through it again."

Zeref broke the barrier and ran towards Lucy, but he reached a split second too late before the second wave struck again.

Zeref stopped, he couldn't breathe. "Lucy…" She was gone because of him. She died because of…

"Damn, Kethia. Curse you and your rebels. You caused me to ruin my favorite shirt."

"Marcus!" Zeref yelled.

"Hey there, Zeref-sama. I saved your princess." Marcus smirked.

* * *

Lucy was in Marcus's arms. She didn't seem to be conscious but nevertheless she was alive. Zeref sighed in relief; he turned sharply and faced the demons.

"I sentence you all for treason and an attempted assassination of the emperor!" Zeref yelled, making his words loud and clear.

"What..?" Kethia exclaimed. "This is unheard of! Weren't you declining the position?"

"Well, now he's taking back the position, you dimwit!" Marcus called out gleefully.

Zeref turned to face Marcus, "You know what to do." Marcus nodded and readjusted Lucy, he turned and made his way out of the forest.

Zeref once again turned to face the demons, He raised an arm and summoned his demons.

"It's retribution time."


	8. The Twin Dragonslayers

"Don't ever forget me." An unrecognizable voice called out. Lucy turned her head to look at the person but all she could see was mist.

"How could I ever forget you?" Her voice echoed loud and clear, across the empty room. Then the room begin to crumble. Lucy grasped around desperately and felt herself falling fast to the ground.

She opened her mouth to scream but she found out that she couldn't. After all, she was a lifeless doll.

* * *

Lucy sat up, gasping for breaths as she tried to make a clear understanding of her situation. She was in an unfamiliar room with no windows. Sounds could be heard from the below. She examined the room, the room was shabby with a few crates and a bed for decoration. Lucy found her keys lying on the crate nearest to her. She reached for it and hooked it on her belt.

Lucy got up slowly and went over to the door to be greeted by a plump lady. "Why, I didn't know you were awake?! Why didn't you come down? Breakfast just finished." The plump lady said.

Lucy stared blankly at the lady, "Where am I?"

The lady just chuckled and wiped her hands on her flour-covered apron, "That's right, you just got here. I am Gileda, the innkeeper of this inn," she announced proudly.

"Inn…?" Lucy said, then she realized something. She raised her head and asked Gileda desperately. "Did a man in a black cloak come here by any chance?"

Gileda nodded sincerely, "Not black but blue, he was the one who carried you here. In fact, he was a fine young man." She sighed a little dreamily.

Lucy turned around and found her cloak hanging on a hook on a wall. She took the cloak and wore it. Gileda looked at her questioningly but didn't say anything.

"Thank you for your hospitality, but I'm afraid I must go," Lucy said politely as she gathered her belongings.

Gileda started, "What do you mean?"

Lucy turned and faced Gileda, "I have to go, Gileda. Excuse me." Without saying a word she walked past the innkeeper and went down the stairs.

The stairs creaked as she made her way downstairs. There were a couple of old men leering at her but she paid no attention to it.

As soon as she got out of the inn she made a sharp turn and made her way to the forest. Lucy didn't pause and kept running.

"Please be there!" Lucy cried, her tears running sideways against the wind which slapped her face.

When she reached she was almost out of breath. Lucy looked everywhere but she could only see the remains of the evaporated lake. He wasn't there. Just as expected. Lucy laughed bitterly, tears streaming down her face.

"Now who am I supposed to turn to, if you're not here?" Lucy said to no one in particular.

The air stank of burnt grass and trees. Lucy turned towards the lake, the lake had completely vaporized. She reached into her pocket and took out something.

It was a pendant. His last gift to Lucy.

When did a thing like that appear in her pockets? Lucy raised the pendant against the sun. The stone was blue with flecks of white in it.

The chain dangled making a tinkling sound which annoyed her for some reason. Lucy clamped her mouth shut and threw the pendant away.

"You jerk!" Lucy cried, sobbing. "I don't need anything like that!"

"I… just want… you back." Lucy sobbed, getting the words out of her mouth.

* * *

The sun was setting, the shadows casting over Lucy's face covered her eyes. She hadn't cried like this since she found Gray.

Lucy got up, she couldn't stay like this forever. After all, her reason for following Zeref had been to become stronger. But still…

Lucy whipped her head and realized what she had done. She threw away the pendant which would be Zeref's reminder to her.

Lucy ran towards the direction she had thrown the pendant to. She got on all fours and started searching for it.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!

She edged a little towards what would have been a cliff. Lucy couldn't find the pendant anywhere. Her eyes fell upon the edge of the cliff. What if…?

She inched closer and looked down. There it was. The blue pendant was dangling from a branch.

Lucy reached out a hand and made an attempt to retrieve it. The pendant was too far, she needed something longer. Lucy thought of her sword at first but she couldn't risk her cutting the chain by accident.

She had no time, the pendant was slowly slipping away. Lucy inhaled and realized that this was the only option. Lucy looked down and glanced at the roaring waters.

Even if she fell the water would prevent her death. "Here goes nothing," Lucy mumbled.

"Lady? You might fall if you move a step more." A soft voice called out. Lucy thought the voice belonged to a child but when she turned her head she found a cat in a frog costume.

The appearance was so familiar that Lucy let go of the branch and fell to the ground.

"Are you okay, Lady?" The cat asked. Lucy got up and brushed off some twigs off her cloak.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lucy said, smiling at the cat. Unlike her outer appearance she was feeling very nervous, Lucy peeked a glance at the cat. He was chasing a butterfly completely ignoring his surroundings.

The cat was an exceed if her memory served her right. Lucy felt that she was forgetting something very important and then Lucy gasped making the cat stare at her.

"I... have a favor to ask you. Um… there's a pendant of mine, and it fell over the cliff. So I was wondering if you could fly down and get it." Lucy asked nervously.

The exceed stared at her for a few more moments and then suddenly a pair of wings appeared behind his back. "Okay! I am sure Rogue would say something if I didn't help you."

Lucy sighed and smiled at the flying cat, "Thanks a lot!"

The moment the pendant was back in her hands Lucy felt a sense of security. She put it around her neck and tucked it inside her shirt.

"I can't thank you enough," Lucy smiled gratefully at the exceed. The exceed paid no attention to her, he was busy watching the ants. "I…guess I should go now?" Lucy muttered awkwardly and turned to go.

'But where?' Lucy thought.

She cast a last glance at the exceed. He was sleeping peacefully now. Lucy giggled a little. He looked so cute, he reminded her of a blue exceed. Lucy's heart ached with a pang. She missed them so much, although it was a long time since she last saw them.

The wind blew, causing her hair to cover her eyes. Lucy pushed her hair behind her ear and looked at the exceed. He wasn't sleeping anymore.

He was looking at her, and she was looking at him. And then he suddenly started to cry.

"What's wrong?!" Lucy asked him, feeling bewildered.

"Fro doesn't see Rogue, Fro lost his way!" The exceed cried out. Lucy's heart ached again for some reason. She was reminded of the past again.

Lucy reached out and hugged Fro, "It's okay Fro. I am here, I will definitely find Rogue for you." She whispered gently.

Fro lifted his small head and looked at Lucy, "Really?" Lucy nodded cheerfully.

Fro wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his frog costume. "Thank you, Lady."

A few moments passed when the wind blew hard again. "Lady, why are you crying? Is it because of Fro?"

Lucy looked down at Fro and closed her eyes, "I wonder…"

* * *

When they arrived at the town they saw a man in a black coat gesturing wildly at a plump person. There was a man standing next to him who was looking bored. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Rogue!" Fro yelled and leaped out of Lucy's arms.

The man who gestured wildly ran towards Frosch and scooped him in a hug. "Fro!"

The man beside Rogue turned away and made clicked his tongue. "Now that we found Fro, let's go and eat something! I am starving!"

Lucy giggled slightly and turned away, it seemed that they had not noticed her. Lucy pulled up her hood and started to walked away but she was stopped by a tug on her cloak.

"Are you leaving, lady?" Frosch asked. Lucy smiled a little hopelessly and bent down and hugged Frosch gently.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave." Lucy got up and patted Frosch's head.

"Who's going to leave?" A deep voice called out. Then suddenly a huge hand hovered over her head and pulled down her hood.

"You brought Fro back, Why don't you have some lunch with us? It's the least-" The man's eyes widened slightly.

"Lucy-san?" Sting asked outrageously.

Lucy smiled awkwardly and stepped back cautiously. "Uh… hi, Sting!"

"I…um, you see, I am in a bit of a hurry. So I guess I will see you soon?" Lucy scrambled backward silently cursing herself. So much for the secrecy…

"Not so fast." Sting made a quick grab for her and hauled her over his shoulders. Rogue picked up Frosch and made his way towards them.

"We were looking for you, Lucy-san." Rogue said in a monotone.

"Why?!" Lucy squirmed and hit Sting's shoulder causing him to flinch in pain.

"Jesus, woman! Don't hit me there, I got hurt there from the last mission." Sting said abruptly.

Lucy let her hand drop, "Oh… then how about your head?" Lucy smiled slightly.

Rogue, who was standing behind them chuckled much to their surprise. For a brief moment. Then he kept his face devoid of any signs of emotion.

"So, why were you looking for me?" Lucy asked them. They glanced at each other for a while when Sting put Lucy back on the ground and sighed.

"Well, Natsu-san acted weird after you left and then he disappeared one day which surprised Fairy Tail. So we were asked to find you because they thought that you had a connection to it… or some sort." Sting finished glumly.

Lucy widened her eyes slightly and cast them on the ground, "Natsu disappeared?"

They both nodded, including the exceeds who were playing by the side. Lector got up and flew over to Sting's side.

"That's right! Anyway we have to take you back to Fairy Tail, don't we Sting?" Lector said. Sting nodded slowly and kept a watch on Lucy.

Lucy glanced at Sting and their eyes met for a moment but it was enough for the awkwardness to grow. "I don't think that I can come with you…" Lucy said softly. She looked down at her feet as if being reprimanded for doing something wrong.

"Then we'll have to take you back by force then." Rogue said abruptly.

Sting gaped at him with surprise, "What?"

"You're going to swallow a fly, Sting. Close your mouth."

Sting shook his head and glared disbelievingly at Rogue, "But this isn't what we agreed on!"

Rogue nodded, "I know, but I thought you wanted to save Natsu-san?"

Sting closed his eyes and looked away, "I do."

Sting put his hands in his pockets and said nothing. He looked like a kid who got reprimanded for doing something wrong.  
The awkwardness still remained, covering them like a blanket.

"I don't understand…" Lucy blurted out. Lucy looked at Rogue and Sting, she didn't understand why Natsu's disappearance had anything to do with her.

Rogue glanced at Lucy, his eyes searching her, "Lucy-san, we believe that Natsu disappeared looking for you."

Lucy didn't say anything, why would he even look for her?  
"For how long was he gone?" Lucy asked. Something inside Lucy trembled, she didn't want to admit it but she was pretty worried about Natsu. After all, they were previous Nakamas. Well to Lucy perhaps. But she didn't know about Natsu.

"A year, he was gone for a year," Sting made a grunt. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes were looking at the sky.

"So will you come with us, Lucy-san? I am sure you would give us a big help finding him." Rogue said. His face remained stoic but in his eyes Lucy could see desperation.

"Why…? Why are you doing this for Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

Rogue said nothing and looked at Sting instead. Sting got up and pulled her hood down which she had unconsciously done so.

He grabbed her face gently and looked at her with blue eyes which seemed to pierce her.

"It's because they reminded us of what we had but chose to throw it away. We want to repay our debts."

Lucy looked back at his blue eyes, "I still don't understand."

Sting smirked and ruffled her hair much to her annoyance, "Good that you don't understand, now that you got your answer, will you come with us?"

Lucy wanted to follow them and help them find Natsu, she was sure that she would be able to meet Fairy Tail again.  
Lucy knew that she wanted to go back again and make up for the time that had been lost.

She was eager to show off her new magic skills, wipe off the smile on Natsu's face and be right where she belonged to.

There was no place like home, but why was she so hesitant about it?

The pendant moved beneath her clothes as if a reminder of why she had to refuse it. Lucy still had something important to do. That was simply it. She had something to do, to find. And it was more important than finding Natsu. Lucy just wasn't so sure.

"I… can't go with you. I'm sorry." Lucy said finally.

Their expressions showed it all, it wasn't the answer they were expecting. Sting stuttered and looked imploringly at Lucy. "Why? Isn't he important to you? I don't know why you left Fairy Tail, but please… come with us." He begged.

"I am sorry Sting, Rogue. But I can't." Lucy whispered.

Sting turned his head away, feeling angry. "Then tell us why you can't come with us?!"

"I… was betrayed although that's not the exact word for it. But it felt like that, he broke the promise which was important to me." Lucy said.

"And, I was gone for almost two years, Sting! I don't even know if Fairy Tail changed or not. I do miss them but I'm afraid that I might go back just to find that the home I once belonged to is gone…" Lucy continued.

"I understand-" Rogue began solemnly.

"The problem is Fairy Tail, am I not right? You just don't need to meet them then. Problem solved." Sting declared suddenly interrupting Rogue.

Lucy was stunned for words, didn't he get it? How did an idiot like him become the master of Sabertooth? He wasn't getting it at all, it wasn't the matter of meeting Fairy Tail at all… it was about meeting Natsu again and she was afraid of it.

"Like I said, Fairy Tail's the problem isn't it? So we just need to hide her from Fairy Tail while she helps us!" Sting smiled as if it solved the problem. Rogue just shook his head and looked at Lucy waiting for her answer.

"Listen, I-" Lucy stopped, she looked at them. Although Rogue's face didn't show it, Lucy knew that he was desperate, desperate for a solution and an answer.

Lucy gave in to them. What was she supposed to do? She was so reminded of herself when she looked at them.

"Okay, I will come with you on three conditions," Lucy said.

Lucy held up three fingers, "First, you will allow me to join your guild." Sting's eyes widened slightly at this.

"Second, you must not reveal my name under any circumstances."

"Third, you will not ask any questions, are we clear?" Lucy demanded.

They both nodded, although Rogue looked a bit hesitant about it. "But, why do you have to hide your name?"

"I… have my own reasons…" Lucy said. Sting put Lector on his shoulder and turned around.

"We accept your terms although we'll have to think about the third one a little bit more. You see, I'm the guild master after all." Sting said.

Rogue did the same and turned to Lucy and smiled the tiniest of smiles at Lucy, "Please follow us."

Lucy was taken aback at how similar Rogue looked to Zeref, perhaps it was the black hair. Lucy sighed and adjusted her cloak. The sun was setting and the moon was ready to come out already, the days were getting chillier. Perhaps the first signs of winter were showing, already.

"Let's go."


	9. The Alvarez Empire

**Hello, everyone! If you enjoy this story please don't forget to review or follow! Thank you!**

* * *

Lucy could hear faint sounds of snoring, she didn't really mind it except that the sound was uncomfortably really close to her ear. And then there was a loud thud as if someone fell.

Lucy painfully opened her eyes, she took in her surroundings and realized that Sting was nowhere to be seen.

"Sting?"

There was an inaudible sound coming underneath her. Sting was lying face down with his back exposed.

"What are you doing Sting?" Lucy asked although the answer was obvious. She tried to stifle her giggle with the back of her hand.

"Lay off me…" Sting grumbled. He looked as if he was going to puke. Lucy lifted her legs just in case.

Rogue was leaning his head on the train window. "We're almost there, Sting."

Lucy scrambled to look outside her window. The scenery was unfamiliar, there were no trees and instead of trees, there were a lot of rocks.

As the train reached to a stop Rogue got up and hoisted Sting over his shoulder. "Come on, Lucy- san."

Lucy reached for her cloak and followed them closely behind.

Lucy rode in a carriage which was heading towards Sabertooth. Rogue and Sting said that they preferred to have Lector and Frosch fly them back.

Lucy leaned back and touched her locket absentmindedly. "That's a pretty locket, miss." The driver looked back and said.

"Huh? Oh, yes. It is."

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe that she was standing in front of Sabertooth. The guild was identified with a large banner and on top of the guild, there was an enormous statue of a saber-toothed cat opening its jaws.

Lucy gulped and looked at Sting who was grinning at her. "You know? I'm having second thoughts about this."

Rogue stepped forward and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Please don't, Lucy-san."

Lucy turned to face Rogue. "Yeah, I know. But it still feels so weird and-Sting?!" Lucy yelped.

"Yes, blondie?" Sting replied.

"What happened to you?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sting asked feeling confused.

"I mean, why are you so… bloaty?" Lucy asked.

"Oh… this is my real form. I uh… got a little fat you see." Sting scratched his head as if he was embarrassed.

"Little, he says," Rogue smirked. Frosch repeated the same. "Little, he says."

"Shut your trap, Rogue!" Sting yelled. Lector laughed and flew over to Sting.

"Whatever, are you sure you want to let me join?" Lucy asked. Sting looked at her and grinned cheekily. "Sure! You're strong aren't you?"

"Strong?" Lucy echoed.

Sting nodded vigorously and pointed towards his guild. "Yeah, And anyways, I'm pretty sure that you're strong because you own almost all the celestial keys."

Lucy smiled slightly and gathered her remaining courage. "Thanks. I'm ready."

Sting fist pumped and opened the door loudly causing the hinges to creak loudly.

"Geez, Sting. You're going to break the door one day." A woman's voice called out.

It sounded familiar for some reason. Lucy widened her eyes slightly when she saw Minerva walking towards them. Lucy felt panicky and hurried to cover her head with the hood.

Rogue noticed and tried to position himself so that she wouldn't be noticed too much.

"Thank you," Lucy whispered softly so that Rogue could hear.

"It's okay, Minerva. I didn't break it today right?" Sting asked playfully.

Minerva sighed and slapped her forehead. "Well, I wish you would do something about your enormous belly."

"Hey! My belly is not enormous! It's just… bloaty!" Sting retorted. Lucy had to bite her tongue at that. What was he thinking?

"Anyway, who's the girl behind Rogue?" Minerva asked curiously.

"Oh, her? She's someone I recruited." Sting replied nonchalantly.

"Really? She must be really strong." Minerva said as she tried to peer over Rogue's shoulder trying to catch a glimpse of the new member. Lucy shied away from her eyes and moved closer to Rogue.

Sting stepped forward and clapped a hand on her shoulder which almost sent her falling forwards.

"Sting!" Lucy hissed. Sting paid no attention to it and steered her towards his office. Rogue and the exceeds followed behind.

Once they were in Rogue closed the door softly behind him and locked it. Sting made his way to his messy desk and rummaged through the drawers.

"Geez, you should clear your desk once in a while, Sting." Rogue said as if scrutinizing him.

"Shut up… there! I found it." Sting yelled. He brought out a stamp and some files.

"What's this?" Lucy said, picking up the files. Sting took it back from her and grinned proudly. "It's the result of our investigation. We have to send it to Master Makarov today." Sting said.

"Huh? Why?" Lucy said, feeling confused. "I thought this was a private matter."

"Well, yeah… but we are getting paid in return." Sting said sheepishly looking away.

"I didn't know that you were that kind of person." Lucy glared at Sting.

"Come on! Sabertooth is a bit tight on money you see, Rufus and Orga brawled once causing a lot of damage to the guild." Sting scratched his head.

"If you say so," Lucy muttered. She was looking at the stamp Sting brought out. It was too late to back out now.

"Lucy-san? What color would you like?" Rogue asked.

Lucy thought about it carefully, red, blue, white? She didn't want pink like before. Lucy wanted to change herself; not only from the inside but also from the outside.

Lucy thought about the person she loved. Her heart ached for that person. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Rogue looking at her patiently.

"Black… I want Black."

* * *

"Why aren't you running away if it pains you that much?" There was a soft rustle in the shadows, a man stepped out. Moonlight shone on the man partially revealing an unruly claw.

"Marcus."

"You can always do it, you know," Marcus said slyly.

There was no reply which made Marcus feel slightly annoyed. "Let me guess…you feel for the girl, don't you? What did the mortals call it call again?"

Zeref slammed his hand on his desk as if warning him.

"Ah… yes. Love. You love her." Marcus smirked as if ridiculing the idea of Zeref loving Lucy.

"I want to see her face when she finds out that you-."

"Marcus… Get out!" Zeref growled interrupting Marcus. His eyes glowed bright red; the atmosphere felt dangerous.

"You're a _selfish_ king," Marcus said bitterly.

Zeref snapped and lunged for Marcus. His hand closed tightly on his throat. Zeref brought his mouth closer to his ear and whispered threateningly.

"I warned you. Get out. This instant."

* * *

Sting was ruffling through a pile of papers when a white snowy owl flew in with a letter in its beak. The owl perched on his desk and dropped the letter in his hands.

Sting smirked and patted the owl. The owl hooted in reply and pecked at his finger.

He unsealed the letter and read it. It didn't take long to read it; there were only a few words written in it.

_"__Keep her close.__"_

Keep her close? What did that mean? Sting frowned and changed his position. The extra fat was making him feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it was time to lose some weight.

Sting made his way downstairs; he was looking for Rogue and Lucy.

"Lector!" Sting called. Lector's ears perked up and flew to Sting.

"Yeah, Sting?" Lector said.

"Do you know where Rogue is?" Sting asked. His eyes scanned the guild thoroughly. He could see Minerva look at him suspiciously; she was always a sly woman.

"He went back home with Lucy-san." Lector climbed Sting's back and sat on his shoulder.

"Huh?!"

* * *

"Is it really okay for me to stay with you guys?" Lucy said. She stood awkwardly and looked around. The house was kept neatly, the furnitures weren't shabby too.

"Of course, Lucy-san. This is the least thing we could do for you." Rogue said.

"I don't think Sting would agree to this, though."

"He will have to. You don't have a place to stay right? It's the master's job to take care of his guild members." Rogue told Lucy.

Suddenly there was a loud bang coming from the hall. "Why did you leave without me?!"

Lucy jumped at the abrupt noise. "Sting?!"

Rogue rolled his eyes slightly and opened the door to reveal the White Dragon. "You took so long, Sting."

"Still, anyways why's blondie in our house?" Sting asked, scratching his head.

Lucy raised her eyebrow at _'blondie_'. Where did the Lucy-san go?

"She doesn't have a place to stay, remember? I thought Lucy-san could stay with us for a while." Rogue said calmly.

"Are you serious? She could stay at Yukino's place or someone else's." Sting frowned.

"Did you forget the conditions already? We aren't supposed to reveal her identity." Rogue said.

"Oh yeah… well, then blondie can stay with us." Sting said to Lucy.

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek, "Still, I shouldn't impose on you too much."

"Nah, we are rarely at home anyway. You can stay here for as long as you want." Sting made his way towards the kitchen.

"Say, Rogue? Do we have any bread left?"

* * *

Lucy looked at her new guild mark which was branded on the collar of her neck. Lucy let her shirt cover it for now; she would have to get new clothes sooner or later.

She glanced around the room; the room was bare and didn't have much furniture. Lucy yawned and plopped herself on the bed; Lucy smiled, they even changed the sheets.

Lucy stared at the ceiling; her mind was clouded with her thoughts. Natsu was missing, Zeref was gone. What was she supposed to do in this situation!

A knock interrupted her thoughts, "Blondie?" The door opened an inch and Sting poked his head inside.

"Come down. Rogue's finished making dinner." Sting said.

Lucy got up and patted Sting's shoulder lightly, "Thanks." She made her way downstairs with Sting beside her.

Rogue was wearing a white apron which weirdly suited him for some reason. "Ah, Lucy-san. I made spaghetti today, is that okay with you?"

"Yes, of course," Lucy replied, trying to be polite.

The spaghetti smelled wonderful, she held the fork and rolled it in her spoon. Lucy opened her mouth and let her tongue savor the taste of the spaghetti.

"It's delicious, thank you," Lucy smiled at Rogue.

"Oh, umm… You're welcome." Rogue looked away but Lucy could see that he was blushing from the way the tip of his ears were red.

"Why are you getting so shy for?" Sting said loudly. He was grinning in amusement because Rogue rarely blushed. Lucy laughed along with Sting, it felt so good to laugh after such a long time.

"Oh yeah, I have something to talk about with you," Sting said. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, Sting's face turned serious.

"About Natsu-san…" Lucy stiffened and paid all of her attention on him.

"We think, no, we know that the Alvarez Empire abducted Natsu-san."

"The… Alvarez Empire?" Lucy's eyes widened the moment she heard the name.

Rogue nodded and set down his fork. "Yes, well the rumors say so, and Fairy Tail. I guess." Rogue said.

"Wait, I don't understand. What rumors? And what about Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"They say that the Alvarez Empire is going to declare war on Ishgar." Rogue said.

Sting growled, "Those shitty bastards."

"I- but why did they kidnap Natsu?" Lucy stuttered, this was just too big for Lucy to handle.

"That's where you come in, Fairy Tail knows the reason but they wouldn't tell us." Sting gritted his teeth in frustration. "Classified, my ass."

"But how am I related to this?" Lucy asked.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! They just asked us to find you." Sting bellowed. He slammed down his fist on the table making the plates rattle.

Rogue shot a glare in Sting's distance, "Calm down."

Sting took in a deep breath and directed his eyes towards Lucy. "They paid us to find you and protect you."

"Protect me? Why?" Lucy felt bewildered.

"Listen, Lucy-san. We don't know a lot about this, we just received an order from Master Makarov to find you and protect you. The important thing is, will you allow us to protect you?"

"I…well, yes. But-" Lucy said but was interrupted by Sting.

"Great, we got the permission. Now let's clean up and go back to our rooms. Talking about them made my stomach churn." Sting growled.

Rogue nodded and looked at Lucy apologetically. "I'll clean up. Good night Lucy-san."

"Good night," Lucy muttered. She got up and went upstairs with her mind filled with questions. Lucy peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower.

She tried to grasp the whole idea but couldn't. Lucy couldn't believe that Natsu was kidnapped. She had to admit that Natsu was strong.

Lucy turned off the tap and dried her body. She reached for her clothes when she found a set of new clothes waiting for her on her bed.

Rogue.

Lucy smiled gently and possibly blushed too. She wore the new clothes and lied down on her bed.

If Natsu was really kidnapped it meant that there were a lot of strong wizards out there in the Alvarez Empire. Lucy couldn't help it but she was really worried about Natsu…


	10. Lucille

**Hello, everyone! Please don't forget to drop a review or a follow! Thank you!**

* * *

Lucy woke up and stretched her arms. She looked at the clock beside her, it was still early but Lucy decided to go down.

Lucy went to the fridge and took out a box of cereal. Was it alright to open the fridge? She turned around when she heard a soft mumble. "Morning…" Lucy jumped.

"Jesus! Rogue! You scared me." Lucy blurted when she realized who spoke.

"Sorry… are we having cereal for breakfast?" Rogue mumbled, he was apparently not very good in mornings judging from the way he looked. Rogue had a severe case of bed hair and his clothes looked really messy.

"I guess so," Lucy replied, chuckling at Rogue. "Why? Do you want something else?"

"No…" Rogue yawned and took out a coffee pot and started brewing some coffee.

Lucy sat down and started eating her cereal when Sting appeared clutching his pillow.

"Damn so noisy, you woke me from my sleep!" Sting exclaimed but he was supposedly still sleepy because his words sounded intangible.

"Sorry, but I didn't know that we were that noisy?" Lucy asked. Sting frowned and pointed at his ears and went back up.

"Dragon Slayers have better hearing than humans." Rogue explained to her.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Lucy muttered, looking down at her cereal.

Rogue took a sip of his newly brewed coffee and sat down beside Lucy. "Do you have any questions?"

"Huh?" Lucy asked in a daze.

"I presumed that you were unsatisfied with the answers you got last night?" Rogue said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes. I do have a lot of questions." Lucy said.

Rogue smiled, "Well then, Lucy-san."

"Um, well… Natsu was kidnapped, right? Do you know their motive for kidnapping him?" Lucy asked.

"Well, we don't know a lot but we heard that they kidnapped Natsu-san for a deal."

"A deal?" Lucy echoed. Rogue nodded and continued, "It seems that Fairy Tail has a weapon which the Alvarez Empire wants."

"Then, how am I related to this?" Lucy's heart was pounding from the pressure.

"Ah, the Alvarez Empire agreed to hand over Natsu-san if Fairy Tail gives you to them." Rogue said.

"But why would they need me?" Lucy asked, her eyes getting wider.

"That's all I know, Lucy-san…" Rogue said, looking abashed.

'Wait… how do you know all this? I thought you said that you knew nothing yes-"

"That's because Fairy Tail told us nothing. The information we acquired was from… investigating?" Sting came down and looked at Lucy slyly.

"Meaning you spied on them," Lucy said. "There was no choice! I mean, we have to know something if we're to protect you right?" Sting exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess so. But I didn't know that Fairy Tail had a weapon." Lucy muttered.

"You can't know everything- the hell! Why are you wearing my shirt?!" Sting yelled.

"Oh! This was your shirt?" Lucy asked Sting who was glaring at Rogue.

"Couldn't be helped. The shirt didn't fit you anyways." Rogue said distinctly.

"I was planning to lose weight and that was my favorite shirt!" Sting bellowed.

"Oh really? From when?" Rogue replied sarcastically.

Sting turned around sharply and grabbed Lucy's wrist, "Come on blondie! We're shopping for your clothes today!"

Lucy saw Rogue over Sting's shoulder. Rogue noticed that Lucy was staring at him and chuckled. Rogue winked at Lucy and went back to being emotionless.

Lucy was surprised and started giggling. He was one calculative guy.

* * *

"Did you find anything you like?" Sting asked.

"Umm… no." Lucy replied. She frowned at the clothes which were in front of her.

"Hurry up and choose one!" Sting said impatiently.

"Okay! Geez!" Lucy scowled. It was his idea in the first place and here he was, complaining.

Lucy brightened up when she saw a dress which suited to her taste; it was beautiful. It was a white dress with dark blue colored linings.

Lucy hurried to try it on. It was a bit revealing and fascinatingly enough the dress didn't cover her guild mark; it fit perfectly.

"Yeah, yeah. Here, take this cloak too." Sting said, handing her a black cloak. Lucy took it and wore it over her dress.

"You look very good, Lucy-san." Rogue mumbled, looking away as Frosch put his paw on Rogue's leg...

"Really? Thanks!" Lucy smiled at Rogue. Her jaw dropped when she saw the price tag.

"Seriously?! This is way too expensive…" Lucy said.

"It's okay. Think it as a welcoming gift from us." Sting yawned and handed the store clerk jewels.

"That's right! It's a welcoming gift from us. Think gratefully!" Lector said.

"T-thanks." Lucy stuttered; she felt really bad for letting Sting pay for this.

"Now that we bought your clothes, let's go to the guild." Sting turned to look at Rogue as if to convey something.

Rogue shrugged and sighed, "I hope you don't forget that you're the guild master."

"I- whatever." Sting pouted and walked ahead. Lucy stared at both of them in confusion.

"He wants to go a job." Rogue explained to Lucy. "He didn't go on one for a month or so because of his work."

"What about you then?" Lucy asked Rogue.

"I sometimes went on one alone or with Yukino." Rogue said.

"I see…" Lucy muttered. She suddenly felt an urge to go on a job. Rogue noticed the expression on Lucy's face and smiled.

"If you would like, we can go on a job later on." Rogue said.

"Really?! I mean it's been so long since I went on an actual job an-"

"Come on, we're here," Sting said interrupting Lucy.

"Okay…" Lucy said. She made sure that her hood was on properly. Sting made his grand entrance and as usual, his guild members frowned at him.

"Geez… you're our guild master, you know! Act with some responsibility." They groaned.

"Whatever." Sting stuck out their tongue at them which caused them to chase Sting.

"Sabertooth has gotten lively, hasn't it?" Lucy commented.

"Yes, better than before I think." Rogue nodded and went to the job request board. Sting saw Rogue and frowned, "You're going to a job without me?"

"Yeah, Lucy-san wants to go one," Rogue replied. Sting glared at Lucy who flinched under his gaze.

As much as Lucy appreciated Rogue's kindness she wished that he wasn't so oblivious to his surroundings.

"Er… do you want to come with us?" Lucy asked Sting cautiously.

"Of course, I want to! But my work…" Sting whined like an overgrown brat. Minerva, who was listening to their conversation, snapped and punched Sting.

"Quit your whining, you damn brat!" Minerva shouted. Rogue and Lucy jumped at her voice.

Minerva then turned to address Lucy, "You never mentioned your name, is it Lucy?"

Lucy pinched Rogue painfully. Rogue flinched and looked apologetically at Lucy.

"No… her name isn't Lucy. Her name is Lucille. L-U-C-I-L-L-E." Sting said while rubbing his nose. The way he emphasized the name _Lucille_ ticked her off.

"I got it. You don't need to spell it out for me." Minerva muttered darkly. Minerva turned to go but stopped and looked at Lucy in a suspicious way.

"You sound awfully similar to a girl I know. Why don't you pull down your hood and show me your face?" Minerva suggested.

"I- uh…" Lucy panicked and looked at Rogue as if pleading for his help.

"She can't." Rogue said bluntly. All the attention was on him now. Even the guild members were listening in.

"Why?" Minerva asked challengingly. Rogue opened his mouth and hesitated.

"You shouldn't force her to show her face you know! She has a scar across her face which she is ashamed to show." Sting scolded Minerva.

"A scar?" Minerva asked.

Sting nodded vigorously, "Yeah, it's a big ugly one." Minerva still looked unconvinced when the other guild members piped, "You don't understand a maiden's heart don't you?!"

Minerva stuttered and blushed. She thought for a while and seemed to think better of her actions. Minerva faced Lucy and bowed, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

Lucy shook her head, "Oh, no. It's okay."

Minerva lifted her head up and walked away giving Sting a glare. "She doesn't like me," Sting commented.

Rogue nodded in agreement. Lucy scowled and went to Sting and kicked him in the shin.

Sting jumped from surprise rather than pain. "What did you do that for?!"

"Nothing. Thanks a lot for covering for me." Lucy replied curtly.

"You're welcome. But don't you think that you expressed your gratitude in the wrong way, though?" Sting grumbled.

* * *

**I've noticed that most fanfics have conversations in their chapters. It certainly makes the chapter interesting and I was wondering if you wanted me to do that too. Well, if you want that in my story don't hesitate to ask. **


	11. Ryan

**Hello, everyone! Thank you all for your support! I just wanted to say that...**

* * *

"Lucy-san? We're almost there." Rogue shook her shoulder gently.

Lucy yawned and moved Frosch who was sleeping on her lap gently, "Okay."

Rogue got up and gathered their luggage; they were required to stake out for a few days so the luggage was heavier than usual.

Lucy lifted Frosch and put him on her shoulder, "Shall I carry something?"

Rogue shook his head firmly, "No, it's okay. You just take care of Frosch." With that, he hoisted both of their luggage and got off the train.

Lucy followed suit and looked around, it was an extremely busy town. There were some cases of high-level monsters being sighted but the way the town people acted contradicted the situation.

"Lucy-san, let's go." Rogue glanced around as if checking for any suspicious people or animals.

* * *

They arrived in front of the mayor's house; they were welcomed warmly since Sabertooth was a famous name.

"So, when were the monsters sighted?" Lucy asked the mayor as she took note of the paintings which were hung on the walls.

"A few weeks ago. It wouldn't have been such a problem because we sometimes have monsters roaming in our town. But it ate some of our people…and a child too." The mayor replied. He shuddered as he remembered the past few weeks.

"Do you know what type of monster they are?" Rogue asked the mayor.

The mayor thought about it while stroking his beard, "Well, they _were_ herbivorous monsters until recently…"

"Herbivorous?" Lucy echoed, her eyebrows rising slightly.

"Yes, they were sighted in the mountain which is near our mines." The mayor added. He took out a bell and rang it three times.

The bell must have been enchanted because the sounded resounded off the walls. A few seconds later, a butler appeared with a box and bowed to the mayor.

The mayor took the box and opened it; he took out a rusty looking key and handed it to Lucy.

"Here, this opens the shack where you will stay for a while."

Lucy frowned slightly and took the key. Shack? She didn't expect to stay in a shack for a few days. But it was already too late to complain.

"Can we have a map or something?" Lucy asked the mayor. The mayor nodded and motioned to his butler to bring a map.

Lucy handed Rogue the key who pocketed it in his pocket. The butler came back and presented the map to them.

Rogue took the map and folded it, "Thank you. We'll be taking our leave."

"So do we need anything?" Lucy asked Rogue. "We could get some food and raw meat."

"Raw meat?" Rogue wondered out aloud.

"Yeah, we could use it for bait and stuff," Lucy replied, smiling.

Rogue nodded "That's a good idea." He pet Frosch gently and kept on walking. They reached the main street when Rogue said, "You choose the food." Lucy brightened and started wandering in the food aisle. He turned and went to the meat shop.

"Can I have 700 grams of raw meat?" Rogue looked around for Frosch when he remembered that Lucy took him with her.

Rogue bought the meat and looked for Lucy. He found her near the canned food.

She was humming and looked in a good mood, Rogue asked. "Is this all we need?"

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and nodded, looking in her basket she added, "Perhaps a few more water bottles."

They purchased the goods and headed towards the mountain. It was starting to get darker; the sun was setting creating long shadows which Frosch chased delightfully.

"Be careful, Fro!" Rogue called out. Lucy glanced at Rogue, "You're too protective, you know?"

Rogue said nothing and smiled.

"We're here." They stopped in front of a wooden shack. Rogue glanced around cautiously and opened the door with the key.

Lucy followed Rogue and cringed as she saw how dusty the floor was. The floorboard creaked beneath them and Lucy could hear the sound of rats loitering around. She jumped and moved closer to Rogue unconsciously.

Rogue smiled, "Relax, they're harmless." Lucy blushed out of embarrassment and scooted away from Rogue.

"Fro likes rats!" Frosch shouted gleefully. Lucy smiled at Frosch but shuddered inside. She hated rats.

Rogue set down their luggage down on a table which groaned under the weight.

"Shall we start right away?" Lucy asked Rogue with a mischievous glint. Rogue widened his eyes slightly in surprise.

He regained his composure quickly, "If you want…" Rogue didn't think that Lucy would act like that; it caught him off his guard.

Lucy opened one of the bags and took out the raw meat. She opened it carefully and looked at Rogue. He simply nodded as if implying, 'go on.' The stench was so strong that Rogue went out of the shack.

Lucy grabbed a newspaper and opened it; she set the meat on it and took it out of the shack. Frosch and Rogue followed her closely behind.

"Uh… Lucy-san? How far are we planning to go on?" Rogue asked they were certainly a couple of meters away from the shack.

Lucy didn't answer and stopped. She put down the meat and let a few drops of blood fall onto the ground. She took a few steps back. "Rogue, stand beside me."

Rogue glanced at her questioningly but obeyed her. Lucy blushed slightly and took in a deep breath. She was going to cast a spell but having someone watch it was embarrassing.

Lucy closed her eyes and suddenly a dark glow of light surrounded her. Lucy lifted her right arm and made a circle motion. A magic circle appeared around the meat, it grew bigger as Lucy started to chant. Lucy opened her eyes and yelled, "Blood Trap! Activate."

Rogue watched Lucy concentrate. He had an inkling of what she was going to activate but he wasn't so sure. Rogue didn't say anything but he held his breath in, anticipating.

Lucy let out a breath and sighed. "Done. Let's go."

Rogue blinked a few times, "What did you do there?"

"I made a trap if the monster goes near the meat I would be able to sense it," Lucy replied.

Rogue let out a low whistle to show that he was impressed, "That's pretty handy. Where did you learn it?"

Lucy looked away and stuttered, "I learnt it from someone."

* * *

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Lucy was looking out of the window; her hood was down so her hair was glinting in the fading sunshine.

Rogue looked at Lucy's hair in wonder, "It's a shame that you have to cover your hair."

Lucy turned to face Rogue, "Why is that?"

"Because your hair is beautiful," Rogue replied nonchalantly. Lucy looked at him with a blank expression on her face. It took her a few moments to register what he said.

"Huh? Oh… Oh!" Lucy blushed to the roots of her hair. Rogue chuckled in amusement; Frosch who was sleeping on Rogue's lap woke up and muttered something inaudible.

"It's okay Frosch, go back to sleep," whispered Rogue. He patted Frosch's head gently and smiled. Lucy who was watching this sight broke into a grin, "You would become a fine father someday. Do you know that Rogue?"

Rogue jerked his head in surprise and blushed, "Please don't say such things like that, Lucy-san."

Lucy laughed but stopped abruptly when she felt a dull pain in her arm. "It's here."

Rogue put Frosch on a chair and stood up, "Let's go."

* * *

"Are they really supposed to be herbivores?!" yelled Lucy. Rogue didn't reply; he was busy fighting the monsters. Two monsters had appeared, much to Lucy's surprise. She didn't think that the meat would give out a very strong stench. They apparently must have a good sense of smell.

Lucy dodged an incoming monster and summoned her sword. She waited for the right timing and jumped in the air. She landed on the bulking monster and sliced the head of its body. It landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

The body slumped to the ground as Lucy got off its back. The body was still writhing, Lucy looked at in disgust. She raised her sword and brought it down ending its misery.

Lucy looked at Rogue's side, he was managing well, "You still didn't finish the monster?"

Rogue grunted, "If you have time standing there, you might want to help me."

Lucy smiled and ran towards the remaining monster. She jumped before the monster swung its claws at her.

"Vanish," whispered Lucy coldly. The monster exploded with a groan. The aftermath was repulsive, including Rogue who was covered in blood.

"I didn't know that the blast would cause so much blood," Lucy commented after looking at Rogue's state. Rogue frowned and sat down, he felt exhausted. "You got really strong."

Lucy grinned; she touched Rogue's shoulder gently who glanced at her with a questioning gaze. Shortly after, a warm aura of magic surrounded Rogue. He felt instantly refreshed, "Did you give me some of your magic?"

Lucy nodded and went over to the decapitated monster. She looked at the head and seized it up. "I might get a good sum of jewels for this head."

"Lucy-san?"

Without a word, Lucy reached for the head and lifted it. Rogue grimaced because of the blood dripping from its head.

"Virgo, come out," whispered Lucy.

"Punishment, master?" Virgo bowed down to Lucy. Lucy exhaled, "Not today. Can you store this head for a while in the spirit world for me?"

"Of course," Virgo took the head and disappeared.

"Your spirits are really interesting…" Rogue commented in a perplexed tone.

Lucy chuckled, "I guess so."

"The quest finished faster than expected," said Rogue. Lucy shook her head and frowned. "We're nowhere close to finishing the quest."

"What do you mean?" Rogue questioned Lucy. "The mayor said the monsters were herbivorous. So it's obvious someone's manipulating them." Lucy replied.

Rogue nodded, "That makes sense. But how do we find that _someone_?"

"That person's bound to come to us sooner or later," Lucy said. She bent down and grabbed a rock. Lucy inspected the rock to Rogue's confusion.

"Like when?"

"Like now." Lucy threw the rock suddenly into the trees. There was a shuffle in the trees and someone fell down much to Rogue's surprise.

Lucy ran towards the person and apprehended the person. The person let out a boyish voice.

"I've got you!" Lucy yelled triumphantly as she grabbed his chin and peered at his face. Lucy let down her hand in surprise.

"Rogue? We've got a problem here," said Lucy in dismay.

Rogue came over to Lucy. "What?" He looked at the person who was in Lucy's grasp. "Oh."

It was a child.

* * *

"This really is a problem." Rogue said.

Lucy turned to Rogue, "You said that for the fifth time today!"

"I know. I just thought it was worth repeating." Rogue replied bluntly. Lucy frowned and folded her arms, "Well, it's not."

The child was tied to a chair, he was unconscious because the moment Rogue saw him, he brought down his fist. Without holding back.

"But, why did you knock him out?" Lucy lamented at Rogue.

"I'm sorry! It happened on reflex," explained Rogue. He was fidgeting in the corner glancing at the boy in concern.

"What are we supposed to do now? We can hardly turn him in! He's a child." Lucy muttered.

"Just because he's a child doesn't mean he isn't dangerous."

"But still…" Lucy whispered. She started when she heard a groan from the boy.

"I think he's awake," Lucy said.

The boy groaned and opened his eyes; he had big grey eyes. He blinked them a few times before he realized that he was tied to a chair. "Huh? Where am I?"

Lucy looked at Rogue, unsure of how to respond. Rogue sighed and ran a hand through his black hair, clearly looking exasperated.

"Who are you people?" The boy looked around, getting alarmed he started rocking. "I don't have any money!"

"Relax! We're not bad people. We just wanted to question you…" Lucy assured the boy.

The boy stopped and looked at Lucy, "Questions?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes, but first, can you promise me that you won't try to run away the moment I untie you?"

The boy nodded reluctantly and waited for her to untie the ropes.

Rogue stepped forward and glance at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Ryan."

"How old are you?"

"14."

"Any relatives?"

"None," Ryan replied his heart hammering.

"Where do you live?"

"I live near the harbor with someone I know," Ryan said.

Rogue closed his mouth and frowned, "Do you know why you're here?"

Ryan shook his head firmly, "I don't know. I don't remember anything. All I remember is that I was in my house reading a book."

Lucy widened her eyes slightly before reaching to the worst possible conclusion. So did Rogue, because he cursed a little.

"Oh dear…" Lucy muttered. She turned to the boy, "You really don't remember anything?"

"No… why? Did I do something wrong?" Ryan asked, his eyes full of innocence.

Lucy seemed to be at a loss for words. She grabbed Rogue by the shoulder and dragged him out of the shack.

"What are we going to do?" Lucy asked him. Rogue frowned and thought deeply.

"He's definitely the mage who manipulates monsters but his magic seems unstable." Rogue pronounced.

"And on top of it, he's a child," Lucy said exasperatedly.

"This is indeed a big problem." Rogue said. "He said he lives with someone he knows right?"

"Let's visit his place and see if can do anything." Rogue declared.

Lucy nodded and bit her lips lightly. She went inside the shack and woke up Frosch who was still sleeping.

"Ryan? Can you take us to where you live?" Lucy asked Ryan. He was clearly surprised by her sudden request. "Uh… yeah. Sure." Ryan replied.


	12. Ryan's Story

**Hello, everyone! If you enjoy this chapter please don't forget to review, follow or favorite! I didn't change this chapter too much, I liked it the way it was which is a rare thing. Anyway, thank you for your follows and reviews!**

* * *

"Are you mages?" A gruff voice said, bringing Lucy back from her thoughts.

"Yes, we're from Sabertooth," Rogue replied, he smoothed his clothes looking a bit nervous.

"What do Sabertooth mages want from Ryan?" The man who spoke was an old man with a long beard. "Well…"

"We think he was the one who killed the villagers." Lucy blurted. Rogue cursed softly under his breath.

"Ryan?" The old man widened his eyes and laughed. "He's such a coward; he can't even hurt a fly."

"Maybe, but we caught him near the monsters we killed," said Rogue hastily.

"You don't have enough proof. Stop accusing someone innocent." The old man grumbled.

"We don't," Rogue agreed. "Can we talk to him?"

"No." The old man declared.

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked, not believing her own ears.

"You can't talk to him. Or rather, get out of my house!" The old man yelled, his face getting red.

Even though they protested they were kicked out of his house.

Rogue sighed and looked at Lucy who was gazing at the house, "He's definitely hiding something."

Lucy nodded but made no other indication that she heard him.

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked.

"Back to the woods, I have a feeling that boy's going to be there tonight." Lucy got up and wore her cloak, "You're right. Let's go."

* * *

By the time night fell, once again there were monsters lingering around. But this time, there were different monsters.

Rogue prepared to charge in when Lucy spotted something. "Wait!" Lucy pulled Rogue's arm.

"What?" whispered Rogue, feeling annoyed. His eyes followed her gaze. "Who's that?"

"I think it is Ryan," Lucy whispered. "Let's capture him then." Rogue said.

"No. Look at him closer. He's closed his eyes." Lucy muttered.

"Do you think he's sleepwalking?" Rogue suggested. If this was some other situation Lucy might have laughed in his ear but in this case… "Yes."

Rogue sighed, "Then what do we do? Kill the monsters?"

"I'll handle the monsters, you grab the boy," Lucy whispered.

"Why is it that you get the fun part?" Rogue remarked.

"Shut up."

* * *

By the time Lucy was done the moon was high up in the sky. The moonlight shone on the ground revealing severed bodies of monsters.

"That was fast." Rogue said he was impressed by how fast she killed the monsters.

"Thanks." Lucy smiled. Ryan was hoisted over Rogue's shoulder. He was clearly sleeping alright…

"Let's take him back to his house."

"Let's hope the old man's still awake," Rogue muttered. That old man made him feel uncomfortable and he could imagine how loud the old man would be if they interrupted him from his sleep.

"Come on," said Lucy.

"Excuse me?" Lucy banged on the door until the old man came out looking grumpy.

"What do you want from me now?!" Genzou yelled forcing Rogue to cover his ears.

"Geez, you might give this-"The old man stopped when he saw Ryan hoisted over Rogue's shoulder.

"What? You didn't hurt him did you?" Genzou said incredulously.

"Of course not!" Lucy exclaimed. "We found him near the mines."

The old man grumbled about something and opened his door wider to let them in. "Lay him down on the sofa."

Rogue did as he was told; he sneaked a glance at Lucy who was gazing at an old photograph. "Is this Ryan when he was a little boy?"

Genzou nodded, "Yes…"

"You know what he really is, don't you?" asked Lucy.

Genzou said nothing and merely pursed his lips tighter. "Please, tell us and we can save him." Lucy pleaded.

"Save him? Can you really do that?" Genzou questioned, putting his wrinkly hands together.

Lucy nodded, Rogue joined them and put his hand over her shoulder, "We are prepared to do anything to save him. So please tell us about him."

Genzou looked at the youngmages and sighed. "I found him when he was a little boy. He was abandoned by parents at that young age so I took him in…"

* * *

"It was a cold winter day and the port was almost deserted. I was preparing to go back home when I saw a shadowed figure crouching near the alley. I approached it carefully; a boy with almost no clothes on was shivering." Genzou began in a low voice.

"The boy looked five… six? He was freezing so I took him inside my house. My wife was alive back then. She nursed him back to his health and soon enough he was back on his feet, strong.

We asked him few questions, but he was only able to answer his age and name." Genzou paused and exhaled.

"Ryan couldn't remember anything so we reached the conclusion that he had amnesia. But we had our doubts because he looked at everything as if it was new. He didn't even know what sausage was." Genzou laughed out aloud, and then he fell into a glum silence again.

"We took him to a doctor because he would sometimes fall asleep anywhere. The doctor didn't know what to make out of his symptoms. He suggested that we go to the city to have him examined."

"So we did…. And that's when the first attack happened," Genzou said.

"The first attack?" asked Lucy.

Genzou nodded, "I never saw anything like it. Ryan fell asleep suddenly and then monsters started to appear in our town. There weren't a lot of casualties at that time, thank goodness. But we started to grow wary of him after that. He claimed that he remembered nothing."

"Did you take him to a mage?" asked Rogue.

Genzou nodded again and wiped his wrinkly forehead. "He said that it was a type of lost magic."

Lucy gasped, "Lost magic?" Users of such magic still existed though the existence of the Magic was extremely rare itself.

"Yes, so we started to take precautions every night. We tied him to his bed every night but one night… he was gone. The ropes were loose. And after that… I'm pretty sure you know it."

Lucy nodded, "This is much more serious than we imagined. We might have to take him to the magic council."

"Magic council? Are you kidding me?" Genzou bellowed causing them to flinch. He slammed his massive hand down on the table.

"But it's the only way, Ryan committed murder whether he knows it or not!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I thought you said that you were going to help him!" Genzou roared.

"We are." Rogue replied quietly. "But please understand, this is out of our hands."

Genzou quieted down and looked at them silently with loathing eyes. It was apparent that he hated magic users although his own adoptive son was a mage.

"Genzou?" Ryan woke up looking drowsy. "Why am I here?"

Genzou replied without looking at Ryan. "You were sleepwalking again…"

"I see…" Ryan said looking slightly crestfallen. Rogue stood up, "We have to go now." Ryan raised his head abruptly, "Wait! I still don't know your name."

Lucy smiled and patted Ryan's soft brown head "He's Rogue Cheney and I'm Lucille Aldaine."

Rogue made a face at Lucy when he heard her last name which Lucy promptly ignored.

"Lucille Aldaine?" Ryan echoed, "That's a pretty name!"

"Thanks," Lucy laughed. But Ryan's next words caught her off guard.

"Can I call you Luce? Lucille is too long for me to say." Ryan asked. Lucy fell silent at this, that nickname had too many memories tied to it.

Lucy bit her lower lip slightly before answering him, there was no point in dwelling on the past, "Sure!"

Rogue clicked his tongue and grabbed Lucy by her hand, "Come on, let's go." He couldn't help but glance at Genzou who was looking outside the window.

"Wait! Genzou-san, please consider it. For Ryan's sake." Lucy blurted before Rogue managed to get her out of the house.

Genzou just looked at her with doubt and turned his weary head away.

* * *

The moment they were back, Rogue plopped himself down the sofa. "What's wrong with you?" Lucy asked.

"My ears are hurting so bad, not to mention the old man made me feel pretty nervous." Rogue grumbled.

"Is that so?" Lucy smirked, "Shall I rub your ears for you?"

Rogue blinked at Lucy a few times and blushed deeply. "It's not funny!" Rogue exclaimed. Lucy laughed out loud at this before she took off her cloak and looked at Rogue seriously.

"So, now what do we do?" Lucy asked.

"What else can we do? We can only wait." Rogue muttered. His dark eyes were closed in frustration.

Lucy sighed and stretched her arms, she got up to take out her sleeping bag. "Are you going to sleep on the sofa?"

Rogue nodded and said no more. Lucy reached for the lights and switched it off.

"Rogue?"

Rogue grunted in response, "Don't you think it's time for you to drop the san to my name? You can call me Lucy, you know." Lucy muttered her voice sounding sleepy.

Rogue didn't reply for a moment, "Well... I feel more comfortable call you that." Lucy nodded slowly and shifted so that her body was completely wrapped in the sleeping bag.

* * *

It was still dark outside when Rogue woke, he glanced at Lucy's sleeping figure below him. Rogue stood up carefully; he lifted Lucy and put her on the sofa gently.

Lucy mumbled something about flying cats which made him smile a little. Rogue took out a can of baked beans and opened it.

He took a scoop of it and put it in his mouth; he hurriedly finished it and set it down on the table. Rogue sat down near the sofa and closed his eyes, but opened them when he heard a faint sound coming outside the door.

The sound grew louder as it neared, it sounded odd, like the sound of a person panting.

Rogue got up and made his way to the door. He opened it cautiously to see Genzou running towards him frantically.

"He's … gone." Genzou panted.

"Gone?" Rogue questioned before he completely realized what was going on. He turned around abruptly and yelled, "Lucy! Get up!"

Rogue grabbed Frosch and didn't wait for Lucy. He set off running towards where Genzou came from.

Lucy got up and rubbed her eyes, she saw Genzou heaving in front of the door and immediately realized what was going on.

She reached for her cloak and saw Rogue's disappearing silhouette. Lucy kicked her boots against the ground and a pair of blades shot out of the sides of her boots.

The blades begin to glow and Lucy followed Rogue. Lucy sped up and reached Rogue in no time.

"Why are we going this way?" Lucy yelled. They were heading in the direction of the harbor.

"The magic flow is different than usual, I can sense it coming from the harbor," Rogue replied. Frosch gripped Rogue's collar tighter. "Fly higher Fro."

Frosch flew higher and Rogue scanned the view for any possible signs of monsters. He spotted a monster heading towards the harbor. Rogue's eyes trailed it towards the harbor. A lot of monsters were on the way.

"Lucy! There are monsters heading towards the harbor." Rogue announced.

Lucy frowned, "The villagers…" She released a little bit of her magic which made her speed up.

Rogue nodded, they were getting closer to the harbor. "Frosch? Drop me off." Rogue said after noticing the expression on Frosch's face. His expression was getting strained.

"Be careful Rogue," Frosch said. Rogue smiled, "I will. Go after Lucy." Rogue fell to the ground as Frosch dropped him. He ran and immediately spotted a monster.

"Shadow Dragon's roar!"

* * *

Lucy jumped in time to avoid a monster hurling towards her. She didn't have time to fight these monsters, she had to quickly find Ryan.

Lucy turned around a corner and saw a lighthouse. She squinted her eyes and saw Ryan standing on the edge of a cliff.

Her heart skipped a beat and she immediately took off running towards him. Lucy heaved and kept running when she felt herself being lifted. "Fro!"

"Fro will take Lucy to him." Fro chirped. Lucy smiled, "Yeah, thanks." As they reached nearer, Lucy could see Ryan more clearly. He seemed to be crying and in pain.

Suddenly his body glowed and Ryan started screaming. Lucy saw this happen once, a few years ago. "Fro! Turn back! He's going to-"

Her words were muffled by the sound of a blast. They were thrown onto the ground, Lucy reached out and shielded Frosch just in time.


	13. The Book Of Dark Magic

The smoke cleared away revealing Ryan kneeling down. His eyes were open this time but his expression was blank. Tears were pouring out of his eyes.

"Ryan!" Lucy called out his name. Ryan made no indication of hearing anything. Lucy clicked her tongue and made her way to him.

She reached out to touch him but was stopped by a barrier. "No way…" Lucy stared at in shock. She pounded on the barrier desperately causing ripples but it was no use.

Lucy could feel Ryan's magic depleting slowly, if this continued he would die. Lucy summoned her sword and swung at the barrier with all her might. The barrier flickered for a little bit before it hardened again. "Damn it!" Lucy cursed.

She kept slashing at the barrier, "Wait for me, Ryan!" Lucy stepped back to catch her breath, it was no good. The barrier wasn't budging. Lucy took out her key holder and summoned Loke.

"Hello Lucy, it's been a long time." Loke said bowing down to her. Lucy smiled fondly at him, "Can you break this barrier?"

Loke raised his head and inspected the barrier, "Probably. But it would need a lot magic."

"Ok then, we have to save the boy who's inside the barrier," Lucy explained.

Loke nodded to show that he understood, "On my count." Lucy gripped her sword and mustered all of her magic.

"Now!" Loke raised his fist, "O, Regulus… Grant me your strength!"

Their powers clashed against the barrier together causing the barrier to ripple violently.

For a second nothing happened and Lucy lost hope. But suddenly the barrier broke like glass, scattering pieces of it all over the ground. Loke stood in front of Lucy, covering her.

"Thank you." Lucy whispered. Loke smiled and shook his head; a warm light embraced him as he disappeared.

Lucy ran over to Ryan's side. He was still breathing, Lucy sighed with relief. She put his head gently on her lap.

Ryan stirred and opened his eyes slowly, "What happened?" His eyes widened when he saw Lucy's state. Lucy's arms and legs were bruised and her clothes were in tatters.

"Luce? What happened to you?" Ryan asked. He reached out and caressed her face gently. "You're hurt."

Lucy said nothing and looked at Ryan sadly. He stopped abruptly and widened his eyes, "I- did I do this?"

"Ryan?" Lucy called out his name uncertainly.

Ryan looked at Lucy, his eyes wide with fear, "Luce, help me. I think I'm going mad." He started to panic.

Lucy grabbed his face with both of her hands, "Listen to me, you are not going mad. When we get home I'll explain everything to you."

Just then, Rogue appeared with Frosch by his side. "Are you okay?"

Lucy nodded and got up but was stopped by Ryan. He grabbed her hand to get her attention.

"You don't need to explain anything…" Ryan blurted.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I think… I know. I'm a mage aren't I?"

Lucy looked at Rogue in surprise, he shrugged and said nothing.

"How do you know that?" Lucy asked Ryan.

"I sometimes dream of myself. I dream of forests and… monsters." Ryan confessed. "And then when I wake up, I find myself in the forest I dreamt of."

Lucy fell silent at this, then without any warning Ryan started to cry.

"I'm sorry! I think I hurt you. I didn't mean to do any of this stuff. I –" Lucy pursed her lip and hugged Ryan tightly.

"It's okay, I will protect you." Lucy whispered in his ear assuring Ryan. "No matter what happens, I promise that I will be beside you."

Ryan nodded and sniffed. Frosch who was standing beside Rogue started to cry too.

"Rogue? Why is that boy crying?" Frosch's eyes started to water. Rogue bent down and scooped Frosch in a hug.

"See? You made that cat cry. Now stop crying and smile." Lucy told Ryan, she pat his head softly.

"Lucille?" Ryan said her name timidly.

"Yes?" Lucy replied.

"When you leave… can you take me with you?"

* * *

Ryan felt horrible, especially since this morning. When Ryan told Genzou that he would be leaving with them, Genzou had said nothing.

He just sat down on his chair with a desolate look on his face. "Why? Don't you know what they might do to you?"

Ryan just stood there, saying nothing. Genzou looked at Ryan pleadingly, "Please, don't go…"

"I… have to go." Ryan whispered. "Genzou, I killed those people. I destroyed a town. This is the least thing I can do."

Genzou closed his mouth, a crease formed between his eyebrows. "I understand."

Ryan clenched his fists and wiped his eyes. "Take care of yourself."

"You too…"

* * *

Lucy glanced at Ryan who was sleeping against the window. "When are we going to reach?" Rogue groaned. He was clutching his stomach and looked really green.

"Are you okay, Rogue?" Frosch asked in concern. Rogue nodded weakly and slumped over his seat.

Lucy sighed and stared outside the window. As she looked at the moving scenery, she thought about Ryan. The magic council would have a lot of things to consider about. He was still young and he didn't kill those people on purpose.

Lucy wished to protect Ryan. But what could she do? All she could do was to hope that the Magic Council wouldn't make a half-assed decision. The trained rocked on, trapping Lucy in her thoughts.

* * *

Sting yawned and scratched his head, he pulled an all-nighter finishing writing documents to send to the Magic Council. Rogue had contacted him through the Communication Lacrima. He told him everything about what happened.

Sting frowned and stroked his chin. "What to do…"

"Sting! They're back!" Lector announced with a bang. He was keeping a lookout for them; Lector had been feeling lonely without Frosch by his side although he wouldn't admit it.

Sting grinned and jumped down from his window to greet them. He landed in front of Lucy who jumped back in surprise.

"Sting!" Lucy reproached Sting. Ryan hid behind Lucy and looked at Sting in curiosity.

"Who's the brat hiding behind Lucy?" Sting smirked and peered at him.

"Lucy?" Ryan echoed in confusion. Lucy slapped her forehead in realization. "You heard it wrong, he said Lucille."

"You said Lucille, right? Sting?" Lucy put an emphasis on her fake name and on his name. Sting's eyes widened slightly and he nodded understandingly. Thank goodness he wasn't so dense.

"That's right. I arranged a hearing with the Magic Council. It should be next week." Sting said. Ryan stiffened when he heard the word 'hearing'. Sting smiled and patted his head assuring Ryan, "Don't worry. It will be fine." Lucy glanced at Sting gratefully.

"Come on, let's go in." Sting said, taking one of Ryan's hands. He then turned and regarded Lucy, "You too, Lucille." He smirked when he said her name.

Lucy said nothing and followed them but when she got close enough to Sting, Lucy kicked him hard in the shin earning her a chuckle from Rogue.

Sting howled from the pain, he glared at Lucy who was laughing with Ryan. "I'm going to get back at you someday."

"Try me." Lucy muttered, grinning. Sting pouted and went upstairs back to his office with Ryan beside him.

* * *

"You got your guild mark?" Lucy asked. Ryan nodded cheerfully and showed her his guildmark proudly.

It was in turquoise color and it was located on his forearm. Lucy gazed at it for a moment.

"Luce? Thanks for everything." Ryan blushed and thanked her. Lucy smiled at him, "You're welcome."

Rogue appeared next to her carrying a duffel. "What's that?" asked Lucy.

"Ryan's stuff." Rogue replied. "Genzou-san gave it to me before we left," said Rogue, handing Ryan the duffel.

Ryan hugged the duffel and smiled sadly. Lucy patted Ryan's head gently.

"You're staying with us." Rogue said, looking at Sting. Sting was looking down at them from the second floor; Lucy instantly knew that it was Sting who let Ryan stay with them.

Lucy locked eyes with Sting and she smiled gratefully at him. Sting was quite surprised from her reaction that he started.

Lucy rolled her eyes slightly and turned around and tapped Rogue on the shoulder, "Hey, I'm going back first. I'll prepare dinner today."

Rogue nodded, "Thank you. But why are you going back early?" He added as an afterthought.

"I have to buy a book." Lucy replied it wasn't exactly a lie, she was going to research. Besides she received a generous amount of money by selling the monster's head.

Lucy adjusted her cloak and left the guild. She summoned Plue so that he could accompany her. The walk to the bookstore was a bit lonely and quiet. She stopped by an old bookstore; the windows were covered with newspapers.

She entered the bookstore and looked around. She had no idea where to search when she saw an old man looking at her from behind the counter.

"What are you looking for, young lady?" The old owner peered at her through his spectacles.

"Er... I'm just looking around." Lucy replied hesitantly. The owner raised his eyebrow ever so slightly but said nothing. "New releases are in the back."

Lucy nodded her head gratefully and made her way to the dustiest part of the store. She did her best not to inhale any of the dust.

Lucy scanned the book titles; she thought about what she wanted to find. She wanted to know more about the Alvarez Empire but she wanted to know more about the dark arts too.

As for the reason why she wanted to know about the dark arts was... because of Zeref. As she was looking her eyes fell upon a book which was tightly bound with a leather strap. Lucy reached for it and opened it. It had no title on the cover.

Lucy's heart almost jumped out of her mouth when she saw a cockroach crawl out of it. Calming herself down, she touched one of the pages gently and turned it over.

There were no sentences; instead there were pictures with a caption beneath them. On closer inspection, Lucy found the pictures to be gruesome.

The picture she was looking at depicted a man surrounded by dead bodies. The man was holding his head and looked as if he were screaming.

This looked oddly familiar to Lucy, she looked down and read the caption. '_Ankhseram Black Magic._' What did that even mean?

Lucy frowned and flipped to the next page. The next page depicted a young girl holding a severed head. Lucy widened her eyes in horror and closed it shut.

Lucy shuddered and looked at the book; it was no doubt a book about dark arts. She was about to put the book back on the shelf but found herself hesitating for some reason.

If this really contained the names of the dark arts it would be a really big help to her. Lucy sighed in defeat and made her way to the counter holding the book cautiously as if it might burn her.


	14. Trump Card

**Hello, everyone! If you enjoy this chapter please don't forget to drop a review or click the follow button! Thank you!**

* * *

"It's chicken soup," declared Sting before he entered the house. Rogue pushed Sting out of the way who grimaced and opened the door. Lucy came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. She was holding a ladle which she waved threateningly at them, "Wash your hands, it's almost ready."

They willingly complied, Ryan especially. He set down the duffle he was holding and made his way towards the bathroom. He washed his hands quickly.

"Did you find what you wanted?" Rogue asked Lucy, remembering that she went to the bookstore.

Lucy nodded and placed her focus on the soup which was brewing. Sting was already wolfing down the bread which was set upon the table.

Lucy stirred the soup and switched off the heat. She served it in four bowls equally. Lucy had prepared some fish for the exceeds much to their delight.

"Thank you for the food!" Ryan chirped as he dug in. Lucy smiled at him affectionately; she reached for the ladle once more and gave him a second helping.

"Hey! I'm starving here too, you know!" Sting exclaimed, protesting. Lucy sighed and gave him a helping as well. He looked slimmer than before and that was a big improvement. Lucy thought that Sting would never lose weight.

* * *

Lucy was lying sprawled across on her bed with the tightly bound leather book open in her hand. She flipped the pages gingerly as if it were sharp as a knife. Lucy glanced at the pictures once more feeling the unpleasantness grow with each page she turned.

Lucy closed the book shut and frowned slightly. She didn't want to read it but she had to. It would be good for her if she could recognize some of the dark arts. Lucy shifted slightly to make herself feel comfortable. She thought about Natsu and the Alvarez Empire. Why would they kidnap Natsu?

Lucy thought about the weapon which Sting mentioned. She didn't know that Fairy Tail had a weapon. Lucy bit the inside of her cheek, she didn't want to admit it but she was worried for Natsu. After all, he _was_ her previous nakama…

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, Lucy whipped her head around to find Rogue opening the door.

"Rogue?" Lucy asked in puzzlement. He shrugged and entered her room as if it was nothing. He sat down backward on a chair which was beside the bed.

"Am I disturbing you?" Rogue asked, his chin resting on the top of the chair.

"I think you missed the timing to say that." Lucy replied curtly. She was slightly grinning, though.

Rogue quickly flashed a smile at her, "I suppose I did." Lucy raised her eyebrows slightly; it was a rare sight to see Rogue flash a smile.

"Now, why are you here?" Lucy asked Rogue seriously. He yawned and tilted his head slightly to the left. "I don't have the ability to entertain a fourteen-year-old boy."

Lucy gazed at him questioningly to which Rogue added, "Sting's wrestling with him. And in my opinion, I think Ryan's not a very mature boy." After hearing his words, Lucy had become aware of the faint sound of furniture breaking.

Lucy laughed weakly and smacked Rogue's head lightly. "You…"

Rogue glanced around the room and caught sight of the book. He reached for it and flipped it open. "Lucy-san? What's this?"

Lucy glanced at the opened book wearily, "A book on the dark arts. It's mostly pictures though."

Rogue nodded and peered at it scrutinizing, "Why did you buy this?"

Lucy shrugged and rolled off her bed, "I don't know…" Rogue frowned slightly and faced Lucy, "Hey… don't you think this looks like Ryan?"

"Ryan?" Lucy asked, taking back the book from him. "Yes, you know, after he went berserk…"

Lucy's eyes widened, her mouth opened slightly, "You're right!" She got up abruptly and grabbed Rogue's arm, "Get out of my room."

"Huh?" Rogue blinked, Lucy dragged him forcefully out of his room.

"Good night." Lucy said tersely, she slammed the door in his face before he could say anything. After Lucy made sure that Rogue was completely gone she scrambled for her keys and summoned Crux.

"Long time no see, Crux." Lucy breathed out, she was strangely starting to get excited.

"Same to you, Lucy," Crux muttered, his eyes getting droopy. He stroked his mustache and waited for her command.

"Can you look into Zeref?"

"The Black Wizard?" Crux asked, sounding doubtful. Lucy nodded and wiped the sweat off her hands on her pants.

"Yes, the very one."

* * *

"Ryan Winslow. Please enter." A cold terse voice called out. Ryan gulped and fixed his tie; Lucy had pestered him to wear something smart.

Ryan entered the big room and looked around. There were countless of people looking down at him as if he were some prey. Ryan saw a wooden chair in the middle of the room; he supposed that he was going to sit in that chair.

Ryan took a seat; he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and waited for his hearing to proceed.

* * *

"This is crazy," exclaimed Lucy. She was pacing left and right around the room.

"I know, sit down." Sting muttered crossly. Lucy stopped in front of Sting and waved her hands frantically.

"Guilty until proven innocent?!" Lucy yelled devastatingly. Sting grimaced and put an assuring hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down… Don't worry, I still have a trump card." Sting whispered in her ear. Lucy looked at Sting and let herself fill with hope.

"Really?" Lucy asked, her words laced with doubt. Sting nodded and looked at the massive door which was standing tall in front of them.

The door creaked a little and then swung suddenly, revealing the chairman, Hyberion. He stared at them soundlessly and moved past them swiftly.

"Wait!" Lucy croaked, "Can I see him?" She crossed her fingers and waited.

Hyberion regarded Lucy and nodded briefly before turning back to hurry to his office. Sting took Lucy by the hand and led her towards, what they called the prison.

Lucy could hear her heart thumping as they descended down to the prison. Sting let her go for a brief moment to explain the situation to a guard who was guarding the cell.

The guard let the cell door open reluctantly and Sting resumed his position, holding Lucy's hand. She was rather touched by this small gesture of comfort.

"Luce!" Ryan called out; reaching for her but was stopped because of the chains which were restraining his movement.

Lucy trembled with rage when she saw the chains which bound him. "How could they?!"

Ryan smiled helplessly and shook his head, "I suppose they thought it was necessary, to stop me from going berserk."

Lucy pursed her lips and crossed her arms, her eyes burned but she didn't cry. Sting bent down and ruffled Ryan's head gently, "Don't you worry, and I'll get you out of here. Soon."

"Where's Rogue?" Ryan asked.

"Rogue? Ah, he had some important matters to attend to." Sting muttered smiling at Ryan.

Lucy sighed clenching her fists; she looked around the dingy cell. The cell was dark except for the light which passed through a narrow window which was covered with steel bars.

"Um… excuse me? Time's up." The guard standing outside called out awkwardly. Sting got up and went outside, "Ah, yes. Thank you."

"Ryan, I promise that you will get out of here soon." Lucy whispered, echoing Sting's words as if it were her own. She was frustrated with herself, not being able to do anything when the one she wanted to protect was in danger.

Ryan smiled at Lucy and held Lucy's hands, "Luce? I want to eat pizza when I get back home."

Lucy laughed and hugged him lightly, "Of course. Anything you want."

* * *

"So, where did Rogue really go?" Lucy asked Sting. He turned his head away, "Fairy Tail…" he mumbled.

Lucy blinked twice, she thought she heard wrong for a moment. "Fairy Tail? Why?"

"I don't know. I was also supposed to go with him but you know… Ryan. I couldn't let you go alone." Sting finished gently. Sting suddenly blushed and shook his head frantically, "It wasn't for you, I just felt that it would be very awkward if I go to Fairy Tail after I caused chaos at the guild!"

Lucy laughed but paused suddenly, "You caused chaos at the guild?" Sting gulped and tugged at his collar, not liking where this was going.

"R-relax. I just injured a couple of guild members. They started it first anyways!" Sting raised his voice slightly defending himself.

Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead as if it were hurting, "Whatever…" Sting pouted and crossed his arms.

They were interrupted by the sound of the front door creaking. "I'm back," a tired voice called out.

Lucy went to the door to greet Rogue, "Hey, and welcome back." She searched his face and was surprised to see him looking extremely weary. "What happened?" Lucy asked. Rogue said nothing and walked to the nearest chair and collapsed on it.

"I don't know what to do anymore…" Rogue exhaled slowly and looked right at Lucy, "He's back."

"Natsu's back?" Lucy whispered. Sting's mouth was open; he was clearly baffled by this turn of events.

Rogue nodded and wiped his forehead, "I saw him just a while ago. He didn't seem to sustain a lot of injuries."

"But how can he be back? Didn't the Alvarez Empire kidnap him? Why would they release him so easily?!" Lucy yelled, her voice rising with every word she spoke.

Rogue raised his hands as if surrendering, "Please calm down, Lucy-san."

Lucy breathed slowly and forced herself to calm down. Rogue looked relieved when he saw her calming down.

"Lucy-san? Well… there's one more thing I have to tell you." Rogue said slowly, he looked nervous for the first time.

Lucy braced herself and looked at him, "What is it?"

"It seems that Natsu-san… lost his memories," Rogue replied hesitantly. The moment Lucy heard his words, she could feel her knees buckling under her weight.

She could faintly hear Sting shouting in her ear. But she didn't care. Not a bit.

Lucy felt her consciousness drifting away, trapping her in an endless world of black.

* * *

"You should eat something…" Sting held a spoon in front of her mouth for the umpteenth time.

"I'm not hungry," Lucy mumbled, rejecting the food which was laid on the table. Frosch whimpered beneath her, "Fro is worried for Lucy."

Upon hearing those words, Lucy forced herself to grab the spoon and gulp down the food. Frosch smiled and climbed up to sit on her lap.

Lucy smiled back at Frosch, "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm completely fine now!" She could feel Rogue's gaze pierce her when she said those words but she ignored it.

Lucy finished the food quickly and got up, "Thanks for the food. I'll be upstairs in my room." As soon as she entered her room she collapsed on her bed and closed her eyes.

Her mind was filled with countless of thoughts. It was suffocating her. Lucy touched her guild mark and thought about Zeref.

She forced to remember last week. Lucy didn't summon Crux for nothing. She pulled out a pad of paper under her bed and examined them.

She wrote everything she understood from Crux's words. Lucy traced her words and recollected what Crux told her.

_'The Black Wizard, The Ugly Fairy and Spriggan… there are a lot of people who call him by those names. Not much is known about him except for his first name and history. His first name is Zeref and possesses extremely dangerous magic._

_He is the most evil mage in the history of the Magic World. Zeref was described as having alighted in an ancient land, mastered Black magic, given birth to tens of thousands of Demons, and thrown the world into chaos._  
_However, according to Mard Geer, the previous Underworld king, Zeref cursed himself for becoming immortal, desiring to die and eventually created the _Etherious_ born to kill him with E.N.D as his final masterpiece._

_There was a period of time when Zeref could not be traced, in other words, The Lost Years. There are a lot of rumors concerning about this. Some claim that he created out neighboring country, the Alvarez Empire.'_

Lucy stopped at those words, Crux couldn't tell her Lucy any further. But this confirmed her worst suspicions. Zeref was related to the Alvarez Empire.

He was the ruler.


	15. Lucy's Defeat

**Hello, everyone! If you enjoy this** **chapter****, please don't forget to review or follow! Thank you!**

* * *

Lucy groaned and massaged her aching forehead. Was this why... he didn't tell her the truth? But was this the truth? Lucy didn't understand why Zeref didn't say anything to her.

She didn't know what to or who to believe. Why wasn't he beside her in the most important time?

"I want to see you…" Lucy whispered slowly.

She shifted her weight so that Lucy could see the fog covered window. Rogue had been telling her to visit Fairy Tail at least once. He kept telling her about how Fairy Tail missed her and all. But how could she go and see them if Natsu's there?

Lucy couldn't forgive Natsu. And on top of it, he went and lost his memories making it worse for her. She should have been the one who lost her memories. Not Natsu.

* * *

Sting came down whistling from his office with his hands in his pockets. He looked smug and had that cheeky expression which Lucy wanted to slap it away. "Ryan's getting released tomorrow."

Lucy momentarily forgot all her troubles and stared at him, "Huh?"

"The court dropped all charges against Ryan," said Sting. He took a bottle from the bar and drank it in one gulp.

"How did you do that?" wondered Lucy. Sting grinned evilly at Lucy, "I just happen to know _a lot_ about the council members so I merely played a hand in it."

"You're so cunning." Lucy muttered. But it was a good thing, Ryan was coming home tomorrow. She suddenly remembered Ryan's request.

"Sting? I need to go to the market. Don't wait for me, okay?" Lucy said. She checked her purse to see if she had enough jewels.

Sting nodded to her before turning to Rogue to joke about something.

* * *

Lucy's hands were occupied by grocery bags. She had bought a lot, after all, wasn't Ryan coming back tomorrow something to celebrate? Lucy readjusted the bags again when she felt something creep behind her. Lucy turned sharply to find herself staring into a pair of familiar eyes.

"Kethia!" growled Lucy. She jumped away as fast as she could and summoned her sword. Kethia smiled widely when he saw her sword. "I was waiting for this!"  
Lucy launched herself towards Kethia and raised her sword. Kethia laughed like a maniac and slashed at her.

Lucy shuddered and continued to deflect his blows. A group of passersby fled after seeing them fight.

Lucy had practiced a lot to make her moves swift and effortless. She refused to waste any unnecessary movements. Lucy started to overpower Kethia. The grin on his face was wiped off but instead, malice replaced it.

Kethia punched her hard in the stomach causing her to scream. Lucy grabbed her stomach and retreated. She caught sight of her reflection in the store's glass; Lucy was in a mess. Blood oozed out of her and her clothes were all tattered revealing scratch marks which Kethia made with his magic.

Lucy wiped the sweat off her forehead and prepared to deliver the final blow. She couldn't afford to lose. It was either him or her.

* * *

"Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary…" Minerva replied without looking at her; she was too busy looking at her nails.

Lucy closed her eyes and sighed, "I want some water." Minerva clicked her tongue in annoyance and poured water into a cup from a jug which she handed to Lucy not too kindly.

Lucy took it and whispered a weary thank you. She started chugging the water and sighed again when she felt the cool water trickle down her chin.

Lucy raised her hand to wipe her chin with her sleeve but stopped when she saw bandages dangling from her wrist.

"You look like shit by the way." Minerva remarked; she flicked a piece of lint on her dress.

Lucy pursed her lip, "Thanks," without thinking she clenched the glass too hard causing it to shatter. Minerva yelped and jumped back, "Geez, be more careful! The magic flow's much stronger here." Lucy took back her hands and stuttered, "I'm sorry!" She ran a bandaged hand through her blonde hair and tried to get up but was unable to.

"You just lie down. I'm going to call Sting." Minerva said, she pulled the blanket and was careful to fold it so that the shards did not fall on the ground. Minerva quickly looked behind over her shoulder, she felt as if she saw Lucille a few times before. But that couldn't be...

Lucy nodded and sank back causing the bed to creak. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. _One__…__two__…__three__…_ Lucy counted till she reached hundred when the door blasted open to reveal an agitated Sting.

"Lucy! Are you okay?" Sting panted and went closer to her. Lucy nodded and smiled wearily at him, "I guess so? I mean I'm still in one piece, aren't I?" It was a poor attempt at a joke, even Lucy knew that.

Sting looked down and frowned, "Don't say it like that…"

Lucy clenched her fists but released them because blood started to appear on her bandaged hand, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's my fault; I let my guard down too quickly. I didn't think that they would be after you." Sting replied quickly.

Lucy bit her lower lip lightly and looked at Sting, "So… how's Ryan?" She attempted to change the subject.

Sting brightened considerably and opened his mouth to speak, "Ryan? He's doing great! Ryan's waiting for you to come back home."

His face fell for a moment, "I didn't tell him about you, though…" Sting brought a chair closer to her and sat down.

"Lucy, how are you feeling? I mean…" Sting hesitated, unable to form the words that could convey his thoughts.

Lucy looked down and gripped her sheet, "I don't know." She closed her eyes for a moment when she felt an unexpected warmth on the back of her hand.

"Sting…"

He caressed her head gently, "I'm sorry," Sting muttered again and again. Lucy raised her head and locked eyes with Sting.

"Don't. It's weird enough seeing you apologize." Lucy said. Sting blinked and laughed out aloud awkwardly, "You're right. Anyways, I have to go now. Rogue's waiting for me; I expect he's going to visit you sooner or later."

Sting got up and reached for something in his coat. He produced a bundle of flowers much to her surprise. "I almost forgot about this. Rogue's gift to you…" Sting flashed a sly smile at her.

Lucy rolled her eyes and shifted slightly, "Say thanks to him for me."

"I will." Sting hummed as he put the flowers in a jug. Lucy turned around and looked out the window. She almost didn't hear him close the door.

Lucy reached to open the window; she managed to keep it ajar with some difficulty. It was a cloudy day and it looked like it was going to rain.

Lucy breathed in the wind and leaned on the windowsill. She opened her mouth and started to hum softly.

It was the perfect melody for a gloomy day, Lucy thought. Lucy stretched an arm and felt water drip on it. It started raining, slow and light at first but it soon began to fall harder.

Lucy gazed outside the window; the scent of rain made her nose crinkle for it was a long time since it rained.


	16. Forgiveness

**Hello, everyone! I was just listening to 'Afraid' by the Neighborhood. I really love this song. I probably listened to it on repeat about 10 times. I rewrote this chapter while listening to it. Please don't forget to review or follow! Thank you!**

* * *

Lucy woke up gasping; beads of sweat coated her forehead. "Damn it…" She raised her hand to wipe the sweat off, taking note of the time while she did it.

It was two in the morning; Lucy reflected and got off the bed. She reached for her clothes which were folded neatly on the bedside table and put them on.

Lucy fingered the dress and caught sight of the flowers which Sting brought. It was white in color with a pink tint. _'Apple Blossoms'_

Lucy smiled slightly and reached for the flowers. She touched them gently and sighed. Lucy frowned and pushed back her loose hair.

"Why… damn it…" Lucy clenched her fists. Recounting about what happened two days ago made her feel sick.

She lost.

Pathetically.

Why was it that every time Lucy got stronger there would always be someone who would defeat her? Lucy hated feeling like this, it wasn't the first time, she remembered. Lucy looked in the mirror which was placed in the infirmary and caught sight of her.

She looked really pathetic and weak. Lucy was heavily bandaged but what surprised were her eyes.

They looked soulless… broken, even. Lucy felt a sudden anger towards everyone. Especially Natsu. Lucy wished that things could go back to the way they were before. But deep inside, she knew it was impossible.

Lucy traced her face with a bandaged hand and grimaced; she sank down to her knees and grabbed her head. Lucy started to sob, her body ached everywhere. But the pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Lucy blamed Zeref for leaving her alone. She blamed Natsu for creating the person she was right now. She blamed herself for being weak.

Lucy quieted slowly and lied down on the cold hard floor.

"Zeref…" she whispered softly. She reached inside for her pendant and took it out. Lucy felt the stone and was surprised to find it warm. It was as if he was keeping watch over her. Was he?

Nevertheless the thought comforted her and made her smile. She was being stupid right now. Being defeated was not a thing to cry over for.

"I'm strong." Lucy whispered again and again until she really felt it herself. Lucy got up and opened the window, inhaling the scent of wet leaves and mud.

Lucy squinted as the first rays of the sun hit her but it filled her with hope. She would train harder and become stronger than before.

* * *

"Luce! I missed you." Ryan said, jumping into Lucy's arms. Lucy was taken aback by his weight and toppled behind.

Sting started in surprise and was reaching out a hand to help her up when Lucy pulled his arm causing Sting to fall over too. Ryan laughed and hugged them both. It was as if no one could disrupt their happiness.

The door creaked a little and Rogue came out looking extremely tired and annoyed. "Quiet down! I'm trying to work here."

"I'm sorry." They all chimed, Sting couldn't help laughing at his best friend's poor state. Rogue glared at him and pounced on him.

"How dare you laugh, Sting Eucliffe? When it's your work I'm finishing!" Rogue roared. He throttled Sting who was having a hard time trying to stifle his laugh. Lucy couldn't help but giggle at the sight of them.

"Don't be like that, Rogue. Come join us, I'll even help you finish his work later." Lucy said. Rogue looked at Lucy and considered her words, "Oh, well… if you'll help me, I guess that's okay."

Sting mouthed a thank-you to Lucy who rolled her eyes saying, "Sting, aren't you the master? You should be completing your own paperwork."

Sting pouted and scratched the back of his head, "I want to… but the thing is there's something preventing me from completing my work."

Lucy raised her eyebrows slightly, "Such as?"

"I dunno… my laziness?" Sting mumbled. Lucy looked at him disbelievingly while Rogue hit the back of his head.

"I can't help it! It's the way I was born!" Sting retorted.

* * *

"The way I was born…" Lucy whispered. She was cooking dinner for all of them; it was tomato gratin.

When she woke this morning she was surprised to find herself feeling… mellow? She didn't feel the anger she had felt the week before.

Lucy felt that she could forgive even Natsu, but Lucy hesitated, how was she supposed to forgive a person who couldn't remember what he did to her?

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a light tap on her back. "Hey."

"Oh! Hey, Rogue." Lucy replied.

"What are we having?" Rogue asked, eyeing the contents of the pot.

"Um… we're having tomato gratin." Lucy said. Rogue nodded and sat on a chair. He stared at Lucy for a long time which made Lucy feel pretty uncomfortable.

"What?" Lucy demanded. Rogue quickly diverted his eyes, "Nothing," he hastened to say.

Lucy eyed him suspiciously but decided to let it go. Just then the door opened wide open revealing a cheerful looking Sting and a grumpy looking Ryan.

"What happened?" Rogue asked. Ryan pouted and told him what happened, "We were wrestling and Sting won. He keeps teasing me about it."

"Sting, you're not a child anymore." Lucy reproached him.

"Hey, but winning's winning right? There's no difference between an adult and a kid in a match." Sting explained.

Lucy rolled her eyes, she reverted her eyes to the brewing pot. Ryan rummaged for something in his bag, "Come to think of it, I have a letter I want to send."

"I'll send it for you." Rogue said, extending an outstretched hand. Ryan handed him the letter and sat down on a chair, "Thanks."

"Dinner's ready!" Lucy announced. Sting and Ryan and prepared to dig in, it wasn't long before their plates were sparkling clean.

Lucy smiled hopelessly at them, "Thanks for cleaning them for me." She collected their plates and put them in the sink.

Sting got up first and excused himself, "Thanks for the food." He ruffled Ryan's head and grinned at him, "Sleep early, kiddo."

Ryan frowned at him, "I'm not a kiddo." Sting chuckled in response and went upstairs to his room.

* * *

"Uh… Lucy-san?" A muffled voice called.

Lucy stopped writing and opened the door, "Do you need anything?"

Rogue looked abashed and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't need anything… I was wondering if we could… talk?"

Lucy blinked her eyes in surprise but quickly regained her composure, "Sure, come in." Rogue entered the room and stood awkwardly.

Lucy gazed at Rogue questioningly, "So… what?"

Rogue opened his mouth but hesitated, "Did something happen between you and Natsu-san?"

Lucy startled and narrowed her eyes at him, "Why do you ask that?"

"Well… I thought it was weird that you wouldn't go see him even though you're close with him." Rogue answered.

"And about Fairy Tail betraying you or something… it doesn't seem to fit." Rogue added.

Lucy sat on her bed and clasped her hands, she stayed quiet for a long time before saying, "You're a smart one. I give up, I'll tell you everything."

She brought a pillow to her side and hugged it, "Come sit down next to me… it's a long story."

* * *

"I…don't know what to say…"Rogue started. The room was almost silent except for the sound of their breathing.

Lucy fiddled with her locket, "Rogue, it's alright now. I don't feel angry anymore." But Rogue shook his head firmly, "It's not alright."

"I just can't believe that Natsu-san would say those things to you," Rogue blurted, his fists clenched.

Lucy chuckled at his outburst, "I suppose he couldn't help it. I was weak after all."

"Even so, he shouldn't have said that! If I were him, I would never say those things to you. I would-"He stopped abruptly and blushed furiously.

Lucy laughed once more and leaned on his shoulder without a word which surprised him. "But if he didn't say those things I couldn't have become the person I am today."

"I guess I'm kind of thankful to him… I got to meet a very important person and make new memories. I was able to meet you guys and join Sabertooth. I really am… thankful," Lucy finished.

Rogue held her hand gently and leaned against her too, "It's a good thing then. I'm happy that I got to meet you," he whispered in her ear.

Lucy flushed lightly and smiled, "And about Natsu… I'm planning to visit Fairy Tail. If you like…. Uh… can you come with me?" Lucy asked with difficulty.

"Of course…are we going with Sting?" Rogue asked as an afterthought. Lucy paused for a second before shaking her head.

"I don't think so. I mean, with Sting idolizing Natsu like that I don't think it would make my job easier." Lucy explained.

Rogue nodded, "I agree." He glanced at Lucy sideways, "I'm sorry that we forced you to help us."

Lucy shook her head, "No, it's okay. It was something inevitable after all. I had to face him some day or sooner."

Lucy snuggled closer to him, hiding her face, "Can we stay like this for a few more minutes?" Rogue said nothing but gripped her hand tighter in response.

"Thanks."


	17. Secrets and Lies

**Hello, everyone! If you enjoy this chapter please drop a review or click the follow button! Thank you!**

* * *

"Hello, Rogue-san!" Lucy turned around abruptly and saw a young girl heading towards them. "Wendy." She breathed and quickly hid behind Rogue's back.

"Hello, Wendy." Rogue replied, "Is Natsu-san here?"Wendy nodded uncertainly, "I think so. Who's that behind you?" She asked. Lucy jumped and inched closer to him.

Rogue sighed and turned so that he covered her completely, "She's our newest guild member. She's a bit shy, you see."

Wendy tried to peer behind him, "Oh! Nice to meet you, I'm Wendy Marvell."

"Hello." Lucy managed to say. She felt extremely nervous that she tugged slightly on his cloak.

"I'm sorry but we can't stay here for long. Can we see him?" Rogue asked. Wendy nodded but her face fell slightly.

"Yes, you can. But I don't think you should expect a lot from him. I mean, things are going great, but he's still…"

Rogue nodded to show that he understood, "Thank you." He grasped Lucy's hand and stood beside her, "Are you okay?" Lucy shook her head slightly, "I don't know. Rogue, I know what I said, but I can't help but feel… perturbed?"

Rogue chuckled suddenly which made Lucy angry, "Don't laugh!" Rogue breathed in sharply, "I'm sorry. Let's go in."

Lucy let out a gasp when she saw him. He looked the same as he was a few years ago. Not including the faint scars on his right cheek.

"Natsu…" Lucy stepped forward slowly but hesitated. Rogue smiled at her and greeted Natsu, "Hello, Natsu-san."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, "Did we meet before?" Rogue nodded in reply as Natsu slowly broke into his goofy grin.

"I remember now, you're Rogue right?" Natsu asked. He peered at him, "Who's that?"

Lucy opened her mouth to say something but her breath hitched. Rogue put an assuring hand on her back and pushed her forward gently.

Lucy breathed in and pulled down her hood, "Natsu, do you remember me?"

* * *

"I'm sorry…" Rogue whispered his forehead damp with water; it was raining outside. Lucy shook her head gently and spoke, "Don't be. It's okay, I'm fine Rogue."

But Lucy knew deep inside her heart that she wasn't really fine, however she forced herself to smile at Rogue who was clearly worried about her.

Rogue hesitated for a second and placed his hand on top of hers; he said nothing and merely stared into her eyes.

Lucy felt a tear escape from her eye, "Damn it… I didn't want to…" Lucy lifted her hand to wipe her tears off but her tears somehow started to flow.

She gasped and turned away from Rogue who was watching her with a forlorn expression.

"I'm sorry…" Lucy hiccupped, "I just-"Rogue reached out for Lucy suddenly and enveloped her in his embrace.

"It will be okay, Lucy." Rogue whispered her name as if it was forced out of him. Lucy was comforted a little by the way her name sounded in his mouth.

She buried her face in his shoulder for a moment, forgetting everything and stayed like that for what seemed like forever.

* * *

"Hey, Flame Brain." Gray greeted Natsu; he clapped his back causing him to hunch over. Natsu glared at him, "Hey back to you, Ice Princess."

Gray rolled his eyes and sat down on a chair which creaked loudly under his weight. Natsu stayed silent for a moment and spoke again. "Gray… Did you happen to see the two people who came out of this room?"

"Err… no. Why?" Gray asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Natsu opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, "Never mind…" He wasn't feeling right since he saw the visitor.

"What? Natsu- wait… are you crying?!" Gray exclaimed. He pointed at the visible crystal-like tears rolling down Natsu's cheek.

Natsu eyes widened when he realized that his cheeks were wet. He quickly rubbed them with his sleeve and turned his face away.

Gray stood there trying to collect himself, "I- I'm calling Wendy, stay where you are!" He rushed out of the room leaving Natsu to his daze.

Natsu sighed and leaned back; he closed his eyes and touched his scar. Natsu winced as the scar started to hurt again. He didn't remember how he got it…

As he turned over he remembered the visitors who had come a few hours earlier. One of them was a female with long blonde hair, he recollected.

Natsu wanted to touch her hair and had the sudden urge to hug her the moment she pulled her hood down. He was pretty surprised when she asked him if he remembered her.

Natsu couldn't answer her for a moment. He was absolutely sure that he didn't know her but when he was about to say that, his voice didn't come out.

Natsu clenched his jaw in frustration; there was something about that woman… Something…. It made him feel unsettled. He didn't know her name. But she knew his.

As he thought about her, his chest felt an unnecessary pang. Why did she make him feel this way?

* * *

"How's she?"

Marcus stood upright so that his shadow hovered over his lord, "She seemed… fine. No major damage taken to the body. Luckily the Sabertooth bastards found her before she could die."

Zeref let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding in, "Is that so?"

Marcus grinned and sat down on a chair close to Zeref, "Now you know about her, the question is… what's to be done with the slimy git?"

"Keithia? I seriously don't know." Zeref muttered. Marcus rolled his eyes and groaned, "You're such a softie…"

Zeref glared at Marcus, "Shut your trap." Marcus didn't back down and glared right back at him. They looked at each other like that for a few moments when Zeref finally sighed again before sinking back into his chair.

"Fine… you win." Zeref grumbled.

Marcus let out a chuckle, "I may be your demon but I'm also your oldest friend aren't I?"

Zeref didn't say anything but smiled silently. Marcus stood up and straightened his cloak, "Shall I call Keithia in?"

"No need for that. Handle him yourself; by the way, I will appoint Ajeel as the new commander."

Marcus nodded and bowed deeply, "As you wish, Lord Zeref." He turned to go but Zeref stopped him, "And… inform the Spriggan 12 that the plan's going to begin soon."

Marcus stiffened slightly and nodded before hesitating to say something, "You know what? I feel really sorry for you and her at times like this."

Zeref turned his face sharply and frowned, "It can't be helped. This is my destiny."

It was true. It was his destiny. To die at the hands of Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

"Are you two dating?"

"What?! Why would you even think that?" The spoon Lucy was holding dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"So… you're not dating?" Sting asked, tilting his head slightly.

Rogue rolled his eyes and threw some peas at him, "Of course not. Idiot," he growled.

Sting ignored the last word and laughed loudly, "Is that so? I thought it was impossible to be a third wheel with my face anyways."

Fro who was eating fish on Rogue's lap spoke up, "Sting-kun's weird." Lector stood up as if to retort but quickly sat down as he got up, "To that… I cannot retort."

Sting's jaw fell and leaned on Lucy, "Comfort me!" Lucy slapped his head not too roughly but enough to make Sting groan.

"Oh yeah… by the way, I heard that they're going to host the Grand Magic Games this year," Sting said, quickly regaining his composure.

"What?!" Lucy stared at him in disbelief. Rogue had the same expression on his face though he didn't voice it out.

"What is the magic council thinking? Don't they know how dangerous hosting the games would be?" Lucy exclaimed.

Sting chewed his sandwich painfully slowly and finally swallowed it, "I'm sure they know that but the thing is, Lucy…the people don't know about the Alvarez Kingdom."

"Can you imagine what state the country would be in if they knew about it?" Sting added, putting down his half-eaten sandwich.

Lucy fell silent for a long time thinking it over, she finally spoke at last, "I can imagine, but still…"

Precisely at that moment, Ryan came stomping in the room. "Sting! Rogue! I heard about the Grand Magic Games. It will be so awesome!" He squealed in excitement.

Sting grinned at him, "It_ will_ be awesome, and I can guarantee that."

Ryan pumped his fists, "We'll be participating, right?"

Sting scratched his head, "About that… no, we won't be participating." Lucy raised her eyes in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"In fact, this year, Sabertooth and Fairy Tail won't be participating." Sting continued. Ryan's face fell a little, "Oh… but am I allowed to watch the games?"

"Of course," Sting patted Ryan's back gently. Lucy waited for Ryan to leave and then spoke to Sting, "Are we supposed to handle things in the back?"

Sting tilted his head and showed her a cocky grin, "You're smart as always, aren't you? And yes, we'll be cooperating with Fairy Tail for a while; making sure that, things won't be getting out of hand."

* * *

Hours had passed since Lucy lay down on her bed but she couldn't sleep. Lucy sighed and got up; she sauntered towards the lamp and turned the switch on.

The bright light blinded her briefly before she got used to it. She sat down on her chair and started writing in her notebook but stopped because she decided that her throat was feeling dry.

Lucy went downstairs, carefully avoiding the creaky steps. She entered the kitchen and turned the tap on. She pulled back her hair and drank from it, letting the cold water trickle down her throat.

When she finished, Lucy felt oddly satisfied and went upstairs. Lucy stopped walking for a moment and stayed silent. She could faintly hear Sting snore from where she was standing.

Lucy's eyes shifted from Sting's room to Rogue's. She thought she could see light seeping through the crack of his door.

Lucy walked towards Rogue's room and knocked on the door gently, "Rogue, are you awake?"

There was a slight shuffling noise before he opened the door. Rogue looked down at Lucy, "Do you know what time is it?"

Lucy nodded slightly, "I do… I just can't sleep." She peered behind Rogue's back. "What about you?"

Rogue didn't reply and instead looked at her for a long uncomfortable time, "What?" Lucy asked.

He sighed and opened the door a little wider, "Come in."

Lucy smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately, "Thanks."

She looked around; it was a neat and orderly room. The wallpaper was white in color and his clothes were stacked neatly in his wardrobe, his books perched neatly on his desk, it really suited the owner, she thought.

Frosch's bed was in the corner where he was sleeping soundly. Lucy dropped her voice down to a whisper, careful not to wake Frosch up.

"So… what were you doing?" Lucy asked, she sat down on his bed, next to Rogue.

"Nothing… I was just thinking." Rogue replied, his voice revealing nothing. Lucy raised an eyebrow and pressed further, "About what?"

"I was thinking about how you enter a man's room without thinking for a second." Rogue said in one breath.

It took a moment for Lucy to completely register what he said. When she did, Lucy blushed furiously, "I wa- what is-" She grabbed her head in frustration.

Rogue chuckled and sat cross-legged, his knee slightly touching hers. When the laughter passed, the room was once again silent.

Lucy looked at Rogue and asked, "Do you think the Alvarez Empire would attack us?" Rogue stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Maybe… but we can't certainly let our guard down."

Lucy nodded and felt herself grip with fear, if the Alvarez Empire attacked them, the country would be in chaos and many lives would be lost.

Lucy worried for Zeref, he was the emperor of the empire so that would clearly make them enemies. Lucy didn't want that. But it was inevitable.

As she thought it, Lucy was barely aware of a hand waving in front of her face. "Are you listening, Lucy?" Rogue quipped, waving a hand in front of her.

Lucy blinked a few times, snapping out of her daze. "Huh? Yeah, what did you say?

Rogue wet his lower lip and slightly frowned, "You know what? Never mind."

"What? Tell me." Lucy asked, her warm brown eyes locking with his black, cold ones.

Rogue didn't say anything but stared back at her.

Lucy blushed slightly and looked away. She was a little afraid that Rogue would hear her heart pounding.

Rogue blinked a few times; the tips of his ears were red, realizing that he made the situation more awkward, Lucy could see.

Lucy started and laughed weakly, "You're weird," she said.

Rogue shrugged and looked at Frosch who was murmuring about fish in his sleep. "Maybe. But seriously, I... think you're keeping way too many secrets."

Lucy looked down and folded her hands neatly in her lap. Rogue touched her head gently and forced her to look at him.

"I know that you're suffering. Now that the country's almost at war and Natsu-san lost his memories… I'm sure that you're the one who's affected the most," Rogue whispered, his eyes looking almost as if they were pleading.

Lucy inhaled sharply; she was this close to revealing everything. About Zeref, her relationship with him, about the demons… She tried to avoid looking at Rogue because she was afraid that she might tell her accursed secrets.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Lucy asked, her voice trembling. She clenched her fists so hard that she could see her knuckles turning white.

Rogue opened his mouth to speak but hesitated for a moment, "I'm your friend right? I'm your Nakama." The way he said the word 'Nakama' was as if he was saying the word for the first time.

Lucy warmed a little and smiled at Rogue, "You're my Nakama but… Rogue, the secrets I'm keeping are something I can't tell anyone."

Rogue blinked twice and made a crestfallen expression, "I see… well, uh… if you want to tell anyone just remember that Sting and I are here for you."

Lucy nodded and twirled her hair shyly with her finger. Rogue couldn't help but put his arms around her; Lucy stiffened for a moment but put her arms around him too.

Lucy buried her face in his shoulder, "Thanks for being my friend, Rogue."

"Don't mention it." Rogue patted her back awkwardly and rested his chin on top of her soft blonde head. It was only for a fleeting moment but he was sure that his chest hurt a little when Rogue heard the word 'friend'.

It was only until later when he wondered about it.


	18. Mavis's Warning

**Hello, everyone! So... the Grand Magic Games finally makes its appearance! For some reason, I feel that Fairy Tail fanfictions don't quite feel... completed(?) without the Grand Magic Games. I really loved writing this chapter, anyway, please drop a review or click the follow button. Thank you!**

* * *

"Welcome to the Grand Magic Games! Last year's games were simply splendid, I have to say.  
Fairy Tail who kept placing last finally defeated the former number one guild, Sabertooth! Unfortunately, both guilds have not participated this year due to some personal reasons; however this just gives a chance to other guilds to become the number one guild in Fiore!" announced Mato.

"Let the games begin!" His pumpkin head briefly bobbed up and down, distracting Lucy from her daze. She adjusted her hood and leaned back in her seat, looking around; she saw Sting standing next to Master Makarov.

They seemed to be arguing about something. Lucy guessed it was something related to their plan.

Frosch appeared suddenly and climbed Lucy's legs, "Hello, Lucy. Can I use some help here?" Lucy smiled at him and helped him up, "Hey, where's Rogue?"

"Behind you…"Rogue muttered in her ear and sure enough, he was sitting in the seat behind her. Lucy jumped and almost shrieked, "You scared me!"

Rogue relaxed his shoulders with a satisfied expression, "I know."

Lucy frowned and adjusted her hood once again, "Anyways, Lamia Scale's doing a great job against Blue Pegasus." Lucy said to Rogue.

He nodded and pointed towards Sting, "So is Sting… against Master Makarov, that is."

"Why?" Lucy asked a little absentmindedly for she had spotted Ryan cheering in the audience seat.

"Sting wants to be in charge of the frontline but Master Makarov has to control it because of his hot-headed members."

Lucy grinned slightly at this, "That's Fairy Tail for you."

"Oh, Sting's coming back." Rogue said. Lucy turned around and saw Sting trudging towards them. He had a dejected expression on his face from which Lucy had guessed that they had lost.

The audience erupted in cheers suddenly startling all of them. Lamia Scale had won the first round from the looks of it.

"Ah… damn it." Sting muttered and plopped himself down on his seat. "You lost?" Rogue asked, unbuttoning his cloak, for a fire user had entered the stadium.

"I didn't lose! I… gave in." Sting muttered stubbornly.

Rogue patted Sting's back comfortingly, "That's the same thing as losing. It's alright; defending the city isn't so bad."

Sting pouted, slapping his hand away and looked loathingly on Fairy Tail's side. "It's hard not to give in when that scary armor woman's standing right behind you."

Lucy laughed when she heard Sting, "Erza? Believe me; she's only scary when it comes to cake."

"Still… she _looks_ scary."

* * *

It was Lucy's turn to patrol the town. Rogue and Sting had finished their turns so it was only Lucy standing in the middle of the deserted town; it was midnight. It was a full moon and there were no clouds so it wasn't that dark.

She sighed and summoned Plue for the sake of company.

"Pun…Pun!'

"Hello there, Plue." Lucy picked up Plue and hugged him. Lucy still had her doubts but since there was no one it would be fine to revert to Lucy Heartfilia. Not Lucille Aldaine…

She thought of pulling her hood down but thought better of it when she saw a childlike figure looming across her.

"Mavis…?" Lucy whispered, her eyes getting wider. Mavis turned around, her white dress ruffling along with the cool wind.

She smiled sadly at Lucy, "Long time no see, Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

"You like Lucy, don't you?" Sting asked rather suddenly. Rogue was startled by his question but forced himself not to show it.

"Why do you think that?"

"You didn't deny it," Sting smirked at him.

Rogue bit his lower lip trying to swallow the string of curse words which were threatening to come out. "I don't need to deny it because it's not true."

Sting made a face at him and threw a pillow at Rogue, "Liar. I've seen the way you look at her!"

Rogue stared darkly at him, "Don't make false assumptions, Lu-," He bit his tongue accidentally, "Lucy-san is like my sister."

Sting chuckled, "Well, Lu-Lucy-san isn't your sister. Be careful, otherwise, there might be some other guy would snatch her away."

Rogue shrugged and laid down on his bed, "I don't care, Sting. I don't like her…in that way."

Sting sighed, "Fine. Whatever, don't come crying to me after Lucy gets married to someone."

_'__I won__'__t.__'_

But the very idea of her marrying someone irked him for some reason. Rogue let out a frustrated groan and threw a pillow at Sting and stomped out the room. Perhaps he could make a cup of tea to calm his nerves.

* * *

"How can I still see you?" Lucy asked.

Mavis sat down on the edge of a fountain and looked at Lucy, "You can't. I let you see me just for today."

Lucy closed Plue's gate and crossed her arms, "What do you want from me?" Mavis shook her head, "I don't want anything from you. I just came to ask you something."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "What is it?"

Mavis opened her mouth but hesitated, "Have you met Zeref?" Lucy's mouth fell open slightly, how did Mavis know about Zeref?

"I have…" Lucy replied cautiously. She moved closer to Mavis as she opened her mouth once again, "If you're still meeting him then I advise you to stay away from him."

Lucy blinked, "Why?"

Mavis looked down and played with the ribbon on her dress, "You're getting corrupted, no, tainted, Lucy…"

"When I see you, it's like you're covered with black spots. You have to stay away from him. No matter what the reasons, he's hurting you," continued Mavis.

Lucy clenched her fists, "He's not hurting me. And I didn't die even after he..." She let the words hang over them.

Mavis shook her head and held her hands gently, "I know. You're the only one who can stay beside him. But Lucy, he is a dark mage. He _is_ going to hurt you one day."

Lucy's lips trembled, "I don't believe it… Mavis, I need him. I need him in my life," pleaded Lucy.

Mavis didn't reveal any emotions and instead hugged her, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything…"

Lucy lifted her shaking arms and hugged her lightly back. "I can't just… forget about him and stay away from Zeref. I love him…" Lucy whispered sorrowfully.

She knew that Zeref was wrong for her. He was immortal whereas she was mortal. Zeref was a dark mage and he killed a lot of people. But Lucy couldn't help but love him.

"Mavis… I'm prepared to endure anything."

Mavis breathed in a little sharply, "I see… it's your decision anyways."

* * *

"Welcome back."

Lucy jumped and shut the door behind her quickly, "Rogue? You're still awake?"

Rogue shrugged and smiled at her, "I was worried about you. Nothing happened right?" Lucy looked down and shook her head, "Nothing happened."

Rogue nodded, "Well then, good night."

"Good night," Lucy whispered. As she trudged her way towards her room she took a peek behind and saw Rogue standing upright with his eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

He looked tired, Lucy thought. She entered the room and undid her cloak. Lucy looked around the room, it was a special privilege given by the Magic Council. It was a pity that she couldn't live in this room forever.

Lucy fell on her bed and buried her face in the fluffy pillows. She thought about what happened earlier. How did Mavis know about Zeref? Did they have some kind of… special relationship? It wasn't likely but the way Mavis looked when she told her about him was…

Lucy shook her head and slapped her cheeks; it was no good thinking about these things. She groaned softly and hugged the pillow, her tears were threatening to spill. Why did she have to fall in love with Zeref?

It wasn't the first time she felt like this, Lucy realized. Her luck with love didn't seem to be so great. Did Zeref feel the same way about her? Even if he did, Lucy felt as if she were the only one trying to keep them together…

The pendant pressed gently against her chest as if reminding her that she wasn't. It was silly but Lucy was comforted by merely thinking about it.

Lucy got up and peeled off her clothes; she went to the bathroom and turned on the shower tap. The hot water came gushing down, instantly easing her aches. Lucy hummed softly as she washed her body with soap.

Tomorrow was the second day; Lucy hoped that it would pass by peacefully because four days were still left.


	19. Sting's Words

**Hello, everyone! The rewriting has finished! Anyway, if you have questions concerning the story, don't hesitate to ask me. And please drop a review or click the follow button! Thank you!**

* * *

The audience flinched visibly as the two remaining mages lunged at each other aiming for the throat. There was a loud explosion and the audience leaned front anticipating as the smoke slowly dissipated revealing the final victor.

The stadium erupted in cheers when they caught sight of the injured but final victor. Lucy walked carefully through the audience; she pulled down her hood lower as she scanned the faces.

Lucy was looking for Rogue and Sting, she thought that they were with Ryan but apparently that wasn't the case.

She cursed softly and turned back and quickly avoided the people. Lucy inhaled a little sharply once she was in the 'safe zone'. For some reason she was a little afraid of crowds, it might have been because she was hiding her identity.

Lucy frowned and continued walking till she reached the corner when she bumped into someone, "Ah! I'm sorry." Lucy exclaimed. She rubbed her aching nose and looked at the person she had bumped into. Her eyes widened when she realized who the person was. It was Natsu.

"That's okay… wait have I met you somewhere?" Natsu asked, his eyes squinting in concentration, trying to remember where he had seen her.

Lucy took a step back and stuttered, "No, I d-don't think so." She turned around in haste and walked away almost tripping over her own feet.

Natsu blinked and grabbed her wrist, "Wait! Why are you trying to run away?" Lucy cursed him softly under her breath and considered knocking him out in order to escape.

Natsu frowned as if he heard her thoughts, "What was that? Anyways, if you pull your hood down I might recognize you." His words sounded like he was asking for her permission but his hand was hovering over her head.

Lucy yelped and raised her hands trying to cover her head, "Stop it!" She closed her eyes and prepared to punch him when she heard a loud crack.

Lucy tumbled backward and found herself in the arms of Rogue. His breath sounded ragged as if he ran here in a hurry.

Natsu took back his hands, looking hurt, "Why? I was just curious…"

"Excuse me for my behavior, but my partner is quite sensitive about her hair." Rogue breathed. Lucy blushed slightly when she heard him call her his partner.

Natsu shrugged, "Is that so? I'm sorry." But he didn't look apologetic instead he looked more focused than usual. When everything clicked in place he finally exclaimed, "I saw you before! You visited me right?"

Lucy nodded slightly and leaned closer to Rogue. She tugged at his sleeve as if indicating that she wanted to leave this instant. Rogue nodded and put his arm around her, "I'm afraid that we have to go. We have some… urgent matters to attend to."

Lucy had the sudden urge to laugh at his stiff words nevertheless he was able to convince Natsu. She sighed out of relief and walked away with Rogue when they heard a sudden loud thud.

Lucy looked around and saw Natsu sprawled on the floor. 'Oh dear'.

* * *

"How is he?" Lucy asked Rogue for the umpteenth time. Rogue's mouth twisted in a grimace, "If you're that worried why don't you actually visit him instead of asking me."

Lucy frowned at him, "I can't. Wendy might recognize me." She ran a hair through her tangled hair, Lucy felt frightened when she saw Natsu lying on the floor. He had been fine a few minutes ago.

Rogue tried to ignore the 'weird' feeling inside him, he avoided looking at her. Lucy bit her lower lip and crossed her arms, "Seriously, where's Sting?"

Rogue shrugged, "I don't know." He noticed that Frosch had been attempting to climb his leg for the past few minutes. Rogue bent and lifted him up. "Let's go look for him shall we?"

Lucy nodded and smiled at him. Suddenly a loud grumbling sound could be heard from her stomach causing her to blush furiously.

Rogue bit his lip, trying to suppress his laughter which was threatening to burst out of him. He extended his hand towards her, "We'll grab a bite first."

Lucy took his hand and hit his shoulder playfully, "It's not that funny." Rogue gasped in pain and touched his shoulder almost dropping Frosch much to his horror, Lucy's intentions were playful but nevertheless it hurt. She had forgotten to control her power.

Rogue marveled at Lucy's strength. It was hard to remember the girl she had been almost two years ago.

* * *

"This is amazing! Oh man, it's so delicious…" Lucy exclaimed immediately after she took a bite out of her sandwich. It was just an ordinary sandwich but Lucy had been starving for the past few hours. And when you're really hungry, you don't care about the taste.

Rogue nodded and gave his some of his sandwich which he patiently cut into bite sized pieces to Frosch.

Lucy raised her eyes from her sandwich and asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

Rogue shrugged, "Not anymore after seeing you eat." Lucy paused her eating and looked down as if slightly ashamed of her. She took a bite once more and tried to eat it slowly.

Rogue realized what he had said and cursed himself, "I didn't mean to- argh. Don't worry about the way you eat, Lucy-san. The way you eat is beautiful." Rogue exclaimed, rather passionately as if to convince her that those words weren't his real intentions.

The people sitting around nearby turned their heads and looked at Rogue curiously because his statement was rather… bold.

Rogue's mouth fell slightly open as he realized what he had said. He closed his mouth and turned visibly a fine shade of tomato red.

Lucy almost choked on her sandwich when she heard his words. She smiled and laughed, "Why, thank you, Rogue. You just made my day."

Rogue didn't reply and instead buried his face in his hands as if he wanted to completely disappear. Lucy's stomach ached because she had laughed too much. The sunlight briefly blocked Rogue's face which made Lucy gasp.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asked. Lucy shook her head and looked the other way, "Nothing." She couldn't believe herself. She had mistaken Rogue for Zeref.

Lucy was not given any time to curse herself for her mistake for a woman with the Sabertooth mark slammed their hand on the table.

"Where were you?! I was looking everywhere for you." Minerva shrieked, startling them out of their stupor.

Lucy's hands went up to her head unconsciously; she looked at Rogue whose expression mirrored her own.

Rogue quickly stood up and moved in front of Minerva, forcing her to step back.

Minerva squinted at him and clicked her tongue, "What's your problem? Actually, never mind…Sting's looking for you. He's in the infirmary"

Rogue nodded and glanced at Lucy, "Ah, we'll be going on our way then." Lucy hastily gulped down her sandwich and picked up Frosch.

Minerva looked at Lucy and stared at her for a few minutes before turning back to go back to the stadium.

Lucy joined Rogue as they made their way towards the infirmary. Rogue draped his arm across her shoulder and escorted her through the crowd knowing that she didn't like crowds. Lucy blushed slightly, his manners were really good but at times, it could be a bit embarrassing.

As they were getting closer to the infirmary Rogue stopped abruptly, Lucy almost bumped into him, "What's wrong?"

Rogue didn't say anything and instead tilted his head slightly. Lucy looked at him and waited patiently, he tilted his head like that whenever he was focusing.

"I can hear shouting…" Rogue's eyebrows were drawn together in a crease, his eyes widened suddenly. "Take care of Frosch!" He said, handing him to Lucy.

Lucy took a step back and lifted Frosch, "What's wrong?"

Rogue shook his head as if there was no time to answer, he quickly turned and broke into a run. He could see the infirmary now, the door was open ajar.

"Sting!" Rogue yelled as he entered the room. Sting was bleeding profusely from his nose, he clenched his fists and punched Gray who dodged it swiftly.

"How dare you say that about my guild?!" Sting bellowed, his magic aura increasing. Gray raised his fist, preparing to attack.

"Stop, both of you!" Levy shrieked. Gajeel put a hand on her shoulder and steered her out of the room. He nodded in Rogue's direction and picked Levy up who protested, "Don't complain, shrimp."

Rogue rushed in and stepped between them, he glared at Gray who was freezing his bruised cheek. "Get out of the way, Rogue. I need to teach this guy a lesson."

Rogue didn't budge much to Gray's annoyance. "Let's calm down, shall we?" Rogue said.

After hearing the words calm down, Gray roared, "How do you expect me to calm down when he insulted our Lucy?!"

Rogue looked at Sting who shook his head violently. "Sting would never insult Lucy-san." Rogue retorted.

Gray glared at him, "How do you know that?" Rogue bit his lip and cursed himself for his idiocy. He didn't trust himself to answer.

At that moment, Master Makarov entered, relieving Rogue. Gray dropped his fists and looked away. One glance at Sting and Gray was enough to tell him about the situation.

"You two, follow me." Master Makarov snarled. Sting got up, ignoring Rogue's extended hand. Gray cursed rather violently before exiting the room.

When they left, the guild members who were there to visit Natsu slowly started to leave. Only Wendy and Lisaana had remained.


	20. The Truth

**Hello, everyone! I'm really sorry for the late update, I can't believe that I'm having a hard time to think about the next chapter when I have lot's of time. It's spring break now. I'll post the next chapter as soon as school starts. It's**** easier for me to write when I'm in school. If you enjoy this chapter, please don't forget to review or follow! Thank you!**

* * *

"I wonder where Rogue's gone, Frosch," Lucy whispered to the exceed who was in her arms. Frosch patted her arms as if comforting her when he spotted someone standing not too far away from them.

"Lucy, who's that?" Frosch asked pointing a finger. Lucy tilted her head and looked towards where Frosch's finger was pointing.

Lucy faltered for a moment as her breath hitched, "Zeref…" Zeref pulled down his hood and stepped forwards into the light. He smiled wistfully at her and spread his arms as if to hug her.

Lucy hesitated and stared at him. Was he really Zeref? She breathed in a little sharply and put Frosch on the ground; Frosch was pulling at her sleeve urging that they should leave and find Rogue immediately.

Frosch had sensed something from this man. He didn't like Zeref apparently. He wrinkled his nose and buried his face in his frog costume. "Lucy… let's go!"

Lucy didn't hear him, her eyes were focused on Zeref only. She took a step forward and reached out to him. One moment later, she was running towards him.

"Zeref!" Lucy cried, throwing herself into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

Zeref trembled a bit, he embraced her tightly back. He couldn't believe that he was holding Lucy in his arms. Zeref lifted her face and gazed at her. She didn't change at all. Zeref smiled at her once more and kissed her softly between her eyebrows.

Lucy blushed at this tender gesture, she opened her mouth to speak. He mind was buzzing with thousands of questions, but what she asked was: "Why did you leave me?"

Zeref paused and twirled a lock of her blonde hair between his fingers, "I… had to. Forgive me, Lucy."

Lucy looked at Zeref, her eyes searching him, "I missed you…"

Zeref's expression looked pained for a second before he sealed her lips with his own. Lucy blushed and pressed her own against his.

Frosch watched the sight through his paws, "Lucy!" He yelled. Lucy stirred and when she realized that Frosch was watching she pushed Zeref away.

Zeref smiled at her and pulled up his hood, "I have to go now."

Lucy perked up, "Now? When can I see you again?" She bit her lower lip, she didn't think that he would leave her that fast.

Zeref paused for a moment before saying again, "Midnight, I'll be waiting in the same spot. It's up to you if you want to come or not… I'll explain everything to you." Zeref whispered quickly. He didn't know if explaining everything to her was the right choice or not but Lucy was kept in the dark for too long.

But it was a risk he was willing to take. Zeref gazed at her once more before the magic runes appeared around him and enveloped him in its dark aura.

Lucy closed her eyes and opened them, Zeref was gone. It was as if anything which happened earlier was just a trick of her mind. But it wasn't. He was really here.

Lucy blushed as she remembered the way Zeref had embraced her. Frosch tugged at her cloak, "Lucy, who was that? Why did he kiss you?"

Lucy started and felt her face get warm, "Uh… Fro, he was my… friend. And I would really like it if you could keep this a secret?"

Frosch sat on the ground, "Maybe, Lucy." Lucy smiled at the exceed, "I'll give you an extra helping of fish."

"I promise that I'll never tell your secret!" Frosch chirped, satisfied with the outcome.

* * *

"Speak."

Sting frowned and let out a frustrated sigh, "It's their fault! I didn't do anything!"

Rogue growled, "I understand, but what did you say to Gray-san?!"

Sting paused for a moment before looking away, "He… said that Natsu-san was pitiful. And he said that Lucy leaving was all their fault."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, what he said wasn't exactly wrong… "

Sting leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, "I guess I snapped after that. I told him to stop flattering himself. I… well, I told him that Lucy chose the right thing to do, leaving Fairy Tail and all."

Rogue sighed, "Why, did you do that? I understand that you-"

"I hated him, at that moment. For losing his memories and all… when Lucy was the one who was suffering the most." Sting interrupted Rogue. He slammed his fist down the table.

"You… knew?" Rogue asked, did Lucy tell him too…?

Sting nodded, "Yeah, the rumors told me enough."

Rogue paused, he felt relieved for a moment. "Ah… oh yeah," He said, lamely. He tapped his fingers on the table, thinking.

Sting growled, "And then, that ice freak insulted the guild… I guess I lost it after that."

Rogue fell silent for a moment, he ran a hand through his black hair and looked at Sting sincerely, "Sting… I think you should apologize."

Sting's eyes widened as he looked at Rogue imploringly, "What? Why should I apologize?! That stupid Master of theirs already made me apologize to him."

Rogue reproached Sting, "Sting, you do know that we aren't in any position to have arguments and I don't think Lucy-san would appreciate this."

Sting opened his mouth to retort but fell silent as he thought it over again, he didn't want Lucy to feel upset. "I… fine. I'll apologize. But only once!" Sting relented.

Rogue nodded and sighed, he looked at Sting who was grumbling to himself. "Well, I'm going to go and look for Lucy-san. I left her with Fro."

* * *

"Lucy-san?" Rogue called out, he clenched his fists and walked towards her. For some reason, he felt nervous. He swallowed his feelings and called her name again.

Lucy didn't seem to notice, she was looking ahead of her; Frosch was sleeping on her lap.

Rogue frowned slightly, he approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. Only then, Lucy stirred. Her brown eyes gazed up and found Rogue. She smiled wearily at him and handed him, Frosch.

"Where did you go? Fro was waiting for you," Lucy chuckled, she stood up and smoothed out her clothes.

Rogue shrugged, "Sting caused trouble again…" He tried not to look at her, he was a bit afraid that she would start to ask questions but Lucy stayed silent.

She had her eyebrows drawn together in a frown as if she was thinking. "Say… Rogue?"

Rogue titled his head to indicate that he was listening, he held out a hand to her which she slipped hers into.

"Rogue, I… it's nothing," Lucy shook her head. Rogue turned his head to look at her, she had a pained expression on her face which prevented him from asking any questions.

Lucy bit her lower lip and grasped his hand tightly, 'I'm _sorry_…' she thought.

* * *

He wasn't there again. Lucy rubbed her cold hands and looked around as she waited for Zeref to appear.

She folded her hands and looked up, she let out a sigh and watched as her breath turned white against the darkness. Was meeting Zeref the right thing to do?

Lucy felt as if she was committing an act of betrayal against humanity. Zeref was… after all, he was the Emperor Spriggan. It was just an assumption, but Lucy knew that it was the truth.

"Lucy."

Lucy turned around and found herself staring at Zeref. She struggled to breathe, all the emotions which were locked inside her opened and poured themselves out.

"Zeref…" Lucy choked and reached for him. Zeref stepped forward and pulled her in, he pulled down her hood, allowing her hair to glint in the moonlight.

She buried her face in his shoulder, "I- missed you…" Lucy sobbed. Zeref embraced her tighter, "I'm so sorry," he muttered into her ear.

Zeref lifted her face by the chin and kissed her softly. He caressed her hair gently, Lucy blushed and bit her lower lip. She grabbed him by his collar and kissed him back. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours to them.

Zeref gazed sadly at her, "I promised that I'll tell you everything." Lucy nodded and breathed slowly, trying to calm herself down.

"Whatever you see… just trust me, okay?" Zeref bent so that their foreheads touched. Lucy nodded and gazed into his dark eyes.

"I trust you."

* * *

Rogue crossed his arms and frowned, now that he was finally alone he could use some time to figure out his feelings towards… Lucy.

He clenched his fists and exhaled, he couldn't exactly explain what he was feeling. Rogue felt happy and sad at the same time whenever he was beside Lucy.

He looked down at Frosch who was sleeping peacefully on his lap, Rogue smiled and pet him.

Rogue wondered about Lucy, he remembered that she said that someone willingly trained her, but what Rogue was curious about was who trained Lucy?

He closed his eyes briefly and opened them again, he felt as if there was a special bond between Lucy and that mysterious someone. He just knew, Lucy's eyes were tender when she spoke of him.

Rogue bit his lower lip as he realized that he was feeling jealous.

Sting's snoring sounds were too loud. Rogue covered his ears and growled, he was feeling frustrated.

What was he feeling? His heart hurt tremendously whenever he thought of her…

Was this …love he was feeling?


	21. Rogue's Confession

**Hello, everyone... I am extremely sorry for the late chapter. I thought I would be able to write more since I get more ideas while I'm in school but it seems that it wasn't the case. If you enjoyed this chapter, please don't forget to review or follow! I hope this chapter wasn't too rushed.**

* * *

"Did… you really write this?" The professor looked down at a little boy, his hands shaking in bewilderment. The little boy nodded and reached out his hands to take his parchment back but the parchment stayed stuck to the old mage's hands like glue.

"This… the content is perfect but the theme is a bit too grave for a little boy like you." The professor addressed the others while shaking his head.

The others agreed and folded their arms, "Yes, the matter of life and death in magic is one that has been taboo since ancient times…"

The professor nodded, "Even adults should refrain from touching this subject carelessly. You will not conduct any further research of this nature. Understood, Zeref-kun?"

Lucy stayed still, her eyes darted around the room. She realized that she was looking at Zeref's past.

"Yes…" Zeref forced himself to reply. His small hands clutched the paper which the professor had given him back in haste.

"I just want to know… why people are born and why they die…" Zeref mumbled to himself.

The scene changed abruptly, Lucy fell to her knees and grabbed her head, the world seemed to be spinning. She closed her eyes and waited for the sensation to end.

Lucy opened her eyes once again and found herself sitting in the middle of the crowd. She got up hurriedly as her eyes followed the stares of the people.

She saw an older Zeref; he looked to be around 13. He was standing in front of a huge wooden board. He was explaining his theory to the people.

"This is amazing, it would be even more if this experiment succeeds." The person behind Lucy whispered to his friend.

Lucy's eyes quickly scanned the board, her eyes widened slightly as she realized what the experiment would be about. "Why…?" Lucy whispered, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

There was suddenly a burst of outrage among the crowd. A barrel-chested man walked up the stairs, his eyes flashed angrily at Zeref. "I thought we told you not to conduct any experiments?!"

Zeref flinched and stepped back hesitantly. He kept his eyes on the madman, not knowing what he would do.

The man let out a gruff shout and brought his massive fist to the board; it shattered into splinters. Zeref couldn't believe his eyes. He had spent countless of hours thinking and perfecting the theory.

He started to tremble; he was confused. Why didn't they allow Zeref to conduct his experiment? If it really worked, it would have helped humanity's progress. Furthermore, people wouldn't have to be sad because of the passing of their loved ones.

The man turned abruptly and glared at Zeref; he was breathing heavily.

"You will not bring back your dead brother back to life!"

Lucy stood rooted to the ground, motionless with fear until she heard a slap echoing throughout the crowd.

The scene changed abruptly; Lucy stumbled and looked around frantically. She saw Zeref again but this time, he was much older and standing in front of a capsule.

"Etherious Natsu Dragneel… yes, I created you. Created is such an ugly word. You were originally human. You had a body… my younger brother's body." Zeref whispered softly as he gazed upon the sight.

Lucy's eyes followed Zeref's line of sight causing her to gasp and fall to her knees, this couldn't be true. Zeref's experiment had succeeded but his experiment was… Natsu. Natsu couldn't be Zeref's… younger brother.

"No…!" Lucy choked, she stepped forward and soon broke into a run. She reached for Etherious Natsu Dragneel and found herself go through the transparent capsule. Lucy let out a stifled scream and surrendered herself to the familiar spinning sensation.

* * *

"What will… happen to Natsu, when he kills you?" Lucy choked out her words. She shifted her hair in an attempt to cover her face.

Zeref fell silent for a moment, "He will die too."

"I hate you." Lucy sobbed, unable to restrain her tears. "Why… why do you have to live like this?!" She grabbed him by his collar and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Lucy… I wanted to die. I didn't have hope or anything. I just wanted to die." Zeref whispered sadly into her ear.

"Zeref… please, don't let yourself die." Lucy whispered into his ear. Zeref closed his eyes and made a pained expression.

"Lucy… please understand, I'm a threat to humanity. It's better if I… disappear from this world."

"Don't say that!" Lucy pounded his chest as she sank to her knees. Zeref supported her and breathed in her scent, "Lucy… I'm really sorry. I'm sorry that you had to meet a guy like me."

"Zeref… I love you," Lucy breathed, "I'm not letting you die." Zeref stiffened and grimaced, but he didn't pull away, instead he hugged her tighter.

"Lucy?"

They both jumped and looked at the unwelcome intruder. "Rogue…?" Lucy gasped once she realized who it was.

"I don't know what to say…" Lucy started, she reached out to Rogue but he flinched visibly. Lucy took back her hand and bit her lip.

"Rogue, I…"

Rogue looked at her, his eyes betraying his stoic face. He glared at Zeref, who was standing close to Lucy, regarding Rogue.

"Lucy… is this Zeref?" Rogue asked, his voice trembling slightly with anger. He clenched his fists as the flow of his magic started to grow denser.

Lucy hesitated, wondering whether to tell him the truth or not, "…he is." She whispered softly, knowing that how small her voice sounded Rogue would always be able to hear what she said.

Rogue made a pained face and turned away. His fist slammed against the wall loudly, startling Lucy.

"Rogue! Your hand is bleeding." Lucy spoke to him with apprehension, she was about to go to him when Zeref held her back firmly by the wrist._ 'Don't go,'_ his eyes were saying.

Lucy was torn apart between the two of them. She pursed her lips and clenched her fists. Why was this happening?

Rogue turned abruptly and glared at the hand which was holding her wrist. He grabbed Lucy and pulled her away from Zeref. Lucy protested but stopped when she noticed something wasn't quite right about Rogue.

His magic flow was getting stronger with every second, and his pupils were dilated. Rogue took in a huge breath and looked at Lucy.

"Lucy… I love you."

"What?"

Lucy stared at Rogue who let go of her arm gently. "I love you," Rogue repeated again slowly.

Lucy blushed and took a step back, "Rogue… I'm sorry but…" her voice trembled. She looked at Zeref, his arms were crossed. Zeref looked back at her in his silent way.

Rogue grimaced, "I don't understand, you won't be happy with _him_ Lucy." He deliberately emphasised '_him_.'

"Even if you love him right now, those feelings will fade over time. I can… make you happy… if you choose me." Rogue whispered, his eyes closed. He fiddled with his fingers and waited for her response.

Zeref turned away at this point, he looked at Lucy sadly, Rogue was right. He couldn't make her happy. The very thought of Lucy loving another man pierced his heart. But if it was for her… Zeref was willing to let go.

He was willing to let go of her. Her smile, her body, her warmth… everything.

"I won't allow you."

Zeref flinched and looked at Lucy, he must have spoken his thoughts out loud. Lucy moved closer to him, letting him breathe in her scent.

"I won't let you… I love you Zeref." Lucy whispered, her eyes closing as a tear escaped from her left eye. She was bound to regret this decision, but Lucy didn't care. She loved Zeref. Only that mattered to her right now.

Rogue let out a growl, "Are you sure about this?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes, I am… I'm really sorry Rogue." She clenched her fists and brought them close to her chest as if her heart was hurting.

Rogue closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, "I see…" He turned around and started to walk away silently.

Lucy couldn't bear to look at Rogue's back, she buried her face in Zeref's shoulder. She had just lost a precious friend.

Perhaps for... forever.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello, everyone! I updated this chapter earlier than expected. I'm thinking of writing a Laxus x Lucy fanfic but I do have to finish my other fanfic 'Caught in a Triangle'... well, anyway, please don't forget to follow or review! Thank you!**

* * *

"Lucy… I have to go now," Zeref had a regretful expression on his face, he pulled back and looked at her.

"Right now? Why?" Lucy asked she tugged at his cloak slightly; she didn't want him to leave. And she had a nagging suspicion that Zeref wasn't telling her something.

Zeref looked away like she had expected, "I have my reasons. But promise me, don't do anything rash, stick close to your guild mates. Especially the shadow dragon slayer."

"Rogue?" Lucy stared at Zeref questioningly, however, he didn't answer. Instead, Zeref grabbed Lucy's hand gently and brought it to his lips.

Lucy's hand shook slightly as Zeref's lips trembled against her skin, "I love you." A deep red flush crept up to her cheeks.

Zeref let her hand down and gazed into her chocolate brown eyes, he wanted to tell her everything.  
But what he told her was only the small part of the truth. Zeref was afraid that the truth would scare her… because he knew that Lucy's determination would one day lead to her demise and he didn't want that.

Lucy sighed and closed her eyes, "I love you too. Zeref… it's nothing." She hesitated, for some reason she could almost hear what was going inside his mind. Lucy was tempted to pry out the remaining truth out of Zeref but for some reason she was scared.

"Stay safe."

* * *

"Long time no see… Acnologia."

A man with scraggly hair turned around growling; the scent his nose had picked upon wasn't pleasant at all.

"Zeref, you bastard."

"I haven't come to fight you. I just wanted to confirm something." Zeref said with a cold expression. He reached up and cleared the foliage which was obscuring the view. The fact that the bastard lived in a secluded cave didn't help at all.

Acnologia grinned widely, his face tilted backward, he took in a deep breath and as he did so, his smile spread wider. "Ah, you have the scent of the celestial mage on you," he whispered.

Zeref frowned, "Why does it have to be her? There are other celestial mages you can use." He crossed his arms and glared at Acnologia.

Acnologia yawned and leaned back, "Well, I could ask the same to you. Why does it have to be her? There are plenty of women out there."

Zeref growled, "That wasn't what I was asking." His eyes glowed red like it did whenever he got angry.

Acnologia's eyes sharpened in response, "The blood of the Heartfilia line runs through her. She is essential for my ritual to be complete."

Zeref pursed his lips, "We've known each other for centuries. Why… all this? This is all unnecessary," he exclaimed.

Acnologia shook his head, "It's because we've known each other for centuries. I'm tired of this Dragneel, I want to end the bond between us."

"You are willing to give up immortality?" Zeref asked, his fists clenching.

Acnologia nodded, "I would have a couple of years left before I leave this world," he paused and looked at Zeref before continuing, "I will kill you and severe the bond between us."

Zeref looked away, his jaws clenched, "Is this your final answer?"

"Yes, what about you?"

He breathed in slowly as if it pained him, "To achieve the great Wisdom, the great Tree must be destroyed once, the blood of the poor Folk must be spilled once, the dust of the moon must be collected…"

"The hands of the forsaken star must be tainted by… fire," Acnologia whispered fiercely.

Zeref closed his eyes for a long uncomfortable time, "I won't let that happen. Acnologia, the next time we meet, it will be on a battlefield."

* * *

Lucy sat down gingerly on the chair next to the infirmary bed. She didn't know why she came here. Perhaps it was because she was too strongly reminded of the past.

Her hand moved on its own; she caressed his soft pink hair. Was she really willing to let go of the past? Lucy didn't want to linger on it anymore, it hurt too much.

Lucy sniffed and rubbed her eyes, why did she end up like this? She was worried for Zeref and she wasn't sure if Rogue would ever forgive her.

"Just please… wake up," Lucy whispered. She was tired of denying herself, she wanted Natsu to wake up.

She gazed at his face, it looked so peaceful in contrast to the people surround him. Lucy brought her hand to his forehead, she closed her eyes and focused all her magic on her hand.

The place where their skins had touched glowed brightly for a moment, then nothing happened. It was a foolish action, Lucy thought bitterly. She clenched her jaw and bowed her head, resting it on her closed hands making it seem as if she was praying.

The window opened suddenly letting the cold wind enter the room. Lucy shivered; she lifted her head slowly and found herself staring into a pair of onyx eyes.

* * *

Lucy gasped and leaned back in surprise, his unclear eyes focused on her own making her feel trapped.

Natsu reached out and grabbed Lucy's face gently, "Why are you crying?" His lower lip trembled slightly as he pulled back her hood down. Lucy's blonde hair glinted like it was gold under the rising sun.

Natsu took in a sharp intake of breath, "Lucy…" He closed his eyes and pulled her in, wrapping her in his warm embrace, "I'm so sorry."

Lucy didn't move, she didn't dare to breathe. "Natsu," her voice croaked. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away gently. Natsu looked down and bit his lip, "Lucy… I-"

The infirmary door opened so suddenly that it startled them both. Lisaana stepped in; she was holding a grocery bag. The bag dropped to the floor, landing with a dull thump. The contents had spilled out creating a mess of the floor.

"Wha- why are you here?" Lisaana demanded, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Natsu's hands on Lucy's.

Lucy stood up, "I can explain, I-" Lisaana shook her head, "I understand, you're that new member. You joined Sabertooth didn't you?!" Lisaana walked up to Lucy and tore away her cloak. Lucy flinched and fell a step back.

The Sabertooth mark was visible clearly on the collar of her neck. Lucy looked away, she grimaced, "Lisaana!"

Lisaana made a pained expression, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you… take him away again," she begged.

Lucy fell silent and looked at Lisaana, she wasn't the girl she knew anymore. Love did make people go crazy.

Natsu groaned and grabbed his head suddenly, Lisaana turned around in alarm and approached him, "Natsu!"

He didn't pay any attention to her but instead looked at Lucy, "You joined Sabertooth?" He asked softly. He buried his face in his scale-patterned scarf and glanced up at her.

Lucy nodded, her hand unknowingly went for her keys, the familiar warmth gave her some comfort. "Natsu… Fairy Tail is not my family anymore."

* * *

"Where did you go?!" Sting yelled, his voice making the outsiders flinch because of the loud noise.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to get my shirt autographed," Ryan blurted, he turned his back to Sting to show his newly autographed shirt.

Sting sighed and grinned, it was hard to stay angry with Ryan. "Huh, who signed it?"

Ryan smiled meekly and shoved his hands behind him, "Well… you know Gajeel from Fairy Tail?"

Sting nodded slowly, "Yeah… what about him?"

"He signed it."

"…"

"What?! Come on, you're even worse than Rogue, "Sting exclaimed, "And you have me, I can sign all of your shirts."

Ryan laughed, he could tell that Sting was joking judging by the way the corners of his eyes turned up, "He's cool," Ryan shrugged.

Sting had a baffled expression on his face as he clicked his tongue lamentingly, "Seriously… oh, why are you here Rogue?"

Ryan turned around and waved at Rogue, but his hand stopped waving midair. There seemed to be something wrong with him. Sting had noticed too, he put his hand on Ryan's shoulder, "Go to Lucy." Ryan frowned and huffed, "If I don't want to?"

Sting's grip tightened, "Trust me, you will." Ryan stuck out his tongue at Sting and turned away, "See you."

Sting nodded and walked briskly to Rogue, "Is something the matter?"

"…nothing's wrong," Rogue replied back with a hoarse voice. Sting frowned, "Don't give me that bullshit, what happened?"

Rogue looked at Sting, was it okay for him to tell him about Lucy? But then again, he didn't want to cause any trouble for her.

"Sting, nothing happened. I'm just tired."

With a frown decorating his forehead, Sting sighed, "Listen, I'm here for you. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask me… or Lucy."

Rogue flinched when he heard her name but Sting didn't seem to notice, "Yeah… thanks a lot."

* * *

"Lisaana, I'm warning you. Point that weapon away from me." Lucy's curt voice rang throughout the room.

Lisaana's gaze frantically shifted to Natsu who was clutching his head, "Lisaana, don't do that…"

"No!" Lisaana shouted, her arms trembled as she lifted the weapon. Lucy clicked her tongue and summoned her own sword. Lisaana's eyes widened as she saw her sword, it was glowing brightly and it looked like as if the constellations were engraved onto it.

Lucy breathed in and lunged, their weapons met with a loud clash. Lucy avoided an attack and grabbed for her sword, she ignored the sharp pain as the weapon dug into her skin. She pulled Lisaana's weapon and threw it away and grabbed her throat.

Lisaana struggled and scratched at her hands, Lucy loosened her grasp landing Lisaana on the floor. Lisaana breathed in huge gulps of air as she glared at Lucy.

The door opened once again, Gray entered the room. "Lisaana? Mira's- what?"

He stood still trying to understand the situation when he spotted a familiar blonde head. "Lucy…?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello, everyone! I am very sorry for the late chapter. My exams finished about two weeks ago and I was planning to write loads of fanfiction but I got pretty lazy and depressed. I didn't do well on my maths test. Anyway, I'm really sorry and I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as I can.**

* * *

"You're back."

Lucy turned around slowly, gripping her sword, "Gray…"

Gray glanced at Lisaana who was laying down on the floor grabbing her throat, "What happened?"

Lucy stayed silent and continued to stare at Gray. What was she supposed to do now? As if on cue the rest of the guild members entered the infirmary. Lucy groaned inwardly, this was going horribly.

Mirajane stepped forward, raising her voice in apprehension, "Lisaana!" She rushed to her younger sister's side and cradled her gently, "Who did this?" She growled softly.

But her growing anger dissipated as soon as she caught sight of the blonde visitor. "Lucy…is that you?" Mirajane choked as she extended her arms towards her.

Lucy flinched and moved away, "Don't… please, just… don't." She begged, her voice shaking and her eyes wide with fear and apprehension.

Nobody dared to breathe for a moment.

"Gray, don't let her go," Natsu groaned, he was grabbing his head as if he was nauseated.

Lucy moved a step back as her gaze nervously flitted around the room. She reached out an arm and placed a hand on the window pane. Lucy looked at her family… no, her previous family, "I'm sorry."

Before the guild could comprehend what was going on Lucy focused her magic on her hand and blasted the window to pieces. She placed her foot on the broken window frame and leaped out of the window.

Gray cursed and ran, following Lucy and jumped out of the window. He landed on the ground safely and used his ice magic to freeze the ground.

Lucy screamed as she was caught off guard, she landed on her behind and skidded towards a fountain. Gray skidded towards her and caught her by the arm, "Lucy!"

Lucy bit her lip and looked away, "Gray… please let me go," she begged.

He made a pained expression "Why… why are you making this so hard on yourself?!" Gray shouted as he shook her a little, "Please, Lucy… come back to us. We need you! Natsu needs you…"

He breathed out slowly and laid his head on her shoulder, "Please…"

Tears rolled down Lucy's cheeks, "I…can't, " she sobbed. Lucy lifted her hands to her eyes, "Gray… don't do this to me.

Gray grimaced and made a pained expression as he looked at Lucy's pitiful sigh. He loosened his grip and hugged her gently, "I'm sorry. I was out of my mind… I just want you back. I- I'll let you go." He got up and covered his eyes with his sleeves as if there was something in his eyes. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and turned around to walk away.

Lucy hugged herself and trembled, she closed her eyes tightly as if to stop the tears that were already flowing. She sat on the cold frozen ground for what seemed like hours when she felt herself being lifted up. Lucy tilted her head to see the person but a hand covered her eyes.

Lucy protested but instead she was turned and cradled, "What are you doing?!" The person still didn't say anything, instead, the person started to walk to somewhere.

She clenched her fists as if to fight but she felt a hand envelope her fist, "Let me help you." Lucy dropped her fists as soon as she heard the person's voice, "Rogue…"

Rogue didn't say anything but continued to walk while covering her eyes.

Lucy felt her eyes droop, "I'm sorry…" She couldn't help but rest her head on his shoulder. Her eyes closed and she soon drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Is she okay?"

"I think so, she's just shocked…"

Lucy stirred slightly and the whispers ceased instantly. Lucy didn't open her eyes but she was conscious. Sting leaned forward and made sure if Lucy was sleeping or not, his eyebrows were drawn together in a frown. "This can't go on for long."

Rogue didn't speak but he agreed with Sting silently, he glanced down at Lucy and clenched his jaws. Sting's shoulders tensed for a moment before relaxing again, "Ryan's coming. Let's go, Rogue."

Rogue nodded and touched Lucy's hair gently before turning around to leave. The gentle touch of his fingers made Lucy feel extremely sad, she turned over and hugged herself, trying to comfort herself.

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes slowly and turned over, her hair was sprawled all over her face. She hugged herself tightly and pondered over things. Sting was right, this couldn't go any longer.

But she was afraid.

Lucy let out a frustrated groan and got out of bed, she stripped out of her clothed and slipped into her new ones.

Lucy sighed and went out of the room. She couldn't hide anymore and besides, they already knew. It was a matter of time before they confronted her again. But this time, Lucy would be the one to confront them first.

"You don't have to do this." Sting grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly, he wanted her to confront her problems but now he was having second thoughts. He just didn't want her to get hurt.

Lucy shook her head and stared into Sting's blue eyes, "I have to, Sting. I have to do this."

Rogue regarded her words silently from the shadows, he wanted to stop her from confronting Fairy Tail, he was afraid of letting her go. She could go back to Fairy Tail at any time after all. But he didn't make a move. He stood still and waited for it to happen. Because this was something that could help Lucy move on. It could help both of them move on.

Frosch whimpered slightly, he was afraid for some reason, there was something in Lucy's voice which made him feel scared. Rogue patted Frosch's head comfortingly as he watched Lucy collect her nerves.

Lucy breathed in slowly, gathering her frantic nerves. She grabbed the door handle and opened it slowly. Her gaze shifted forward and met the eyes of her previous guild members.

Some of them gasped, some of them shed a tear. Levy rushed forward and hugged Lucy, enveloping her in her embrace.

"Lucy…" Levy sobbed as she clenched Lucy's clothes in her fist. Lucy trembled and hugged her back, they were both crying by now.  
"I'm so sorry, Levy. I missed you." Lucy cried. Sting watched the scene from afar with a smile, but on the other hand, Gray watched the both of them with a pained expression.

Gray still couldn't apprehend the fact that Lucy was right in front of them, crying and hugging Levy. Except, she wasn't Fairy Tail's anymore.

If only he had protected her, or comforted her, she might have stayed in Fairy Tail and not join Sabertooth.

Lucy regarded Gray with a forlorn gaze, she somehow seemed to sense how he was feeling, "Gray…"

Gray turned away, pretending that he couldn't hear her over the commotion. He just didn't want to see her face, even though she did nothing wrong. She did nothing wrong.

She did nothing wrong.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, I ran out of ideas T_T**


End file.
